Week 20 Results: Beat Las Vegas 13-10
Week 21 Opponent: @ Saskatchewan (12-5)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
After a heartbreaking 17-16 loss to Halifax on March 21, Ottawa’s season looked like it was finished. The Black Bears had lost four consecutive games and sat at 4-8 with their playoff hopes having seemingly evaporated. But since that game, the Black Bears have quietly positioned themselves for a shot at the playoffs by winning three out of four, with the only blemish coming against a superb Rochester team. Jeff Teat is playing at an inhuman level — he scored eight goals against Las Vegas to record his third sock trick since mid-February. Teat’s second-half surge has been nothing short of astounding. Through Ottawa’s first eight games, Teat scored 13 goals. In the nine games that have followed, he has potted 40! Most players would be glad to score 40 goals in a full season, but Teat has accomplished that in half a season’s worth of games. If he stays this hot and Zach Higgins plays to his potential, Ottawa is one of the league’s top eight teams and a sneaky contender to spoil someone’s season in the first round.
Week 20 Results: Beat San Diego 12-10
Week 21 Opponent: @ San Diego (8-9)
Previous Ranking: Unranked
It may be mathematically unlikely that the FireWolves make the playoffs, but Tye Kurtz did everything in his power to give the team a shot. Kurtz collected his third career sock trick against San Diego on Saturday — he kills the Seals — en route to a 12-10 win to set up a Week 21 rematch in San Diego with colossal playoff implications. Albany has won four of five games since Rochester dropped them to 3-9 and seemingly out of the playoff picture entirely. Glenn Clark’s team has finally found its footing in its encore season after a surprise run to the NLL Finals a year ago. Lacrosse fans likely will be rooting for Albany this upcoming weekend in the same way they did for Rochester in last year’s final week. The FireWolves don’t need all that many things to break their way to sneak into the playoffs.
Week 20 Results: Idle
Week 21 Opponent: @ Las Vegas (4-13), vs. Colorado (8-9)
Previous Ranking: 6th
Due to a scheduling idiosyncrasy, the Roughnecks had a Bye through Week 20, but they’ll finish the season with an intense back-to-back in Week 21. Nick Rose was sublime in his most recent effort for Calgary, making 57 saves in the Roughnecks’ suffocating win over Saskatchewan on April 4. Dane Dobbie has only scored seven goals since his sock trick against Las Vegas on February 16, but teammates Curtis Dickson, Tanner Cook and Jesse King have taken turns stepping up on a rotating basis. If the Roughnecks are going to maximize their roster, they’ll need to continue to build upon the highly physical brand of lacrosse they played against Saskatchewan. Calgary cannot afford to be reactive when it comes to the flow of games; the Roughnecks must be tone setters who dictate the pace and style of competition. Calgary first travels to Las Vegas on Friday before returning to the Saddledome for one final regular-season home game against Colorado on Saturday.
Halifax Thunderbirds on April 12, 2025 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Halifax Thunderbirds @ Buffalo Bandits. (Caroline Sherman/NLL)
Week 20 Results: Lost to Buffalo 15-12
Week 21 Opponent: @ Toronto (5-11)
Previous Ranking: 4th
Halifax is the only team to slide out of the top four this week, squandering an opportunity to stack two loud statements on each other. After beating San Diego in Week 19, the Thunderbirds put forth a nice effort in Banditland but ultimately came up short. Drew Hutchison was fantastic two weeks ago in relief of Warren Hill, but didn’t enjoy nearly the same level of success against the Bandits. The Bandits’ offense picked Halifax’s defense apart, with Dhane Smith having a 10-assist night in helping Josh Byrne and Kyle Buchanan each net four goals. Randy Staats was tremendous once again, scoring four goals and totaling nine points. Halifax even took an 11-10 lead in the fourth, but Buffalo scored five of the game’s final six goals, an empty-netter included, to protect home floor with a win. Halifax finishes the regular season with a visit to the Toronto Rock.
Saskatchewan Rush at Colorado Mammoth from Ball Arena in Denver Colorado on April 13, 2025
Brock Haley runs with the ball
Week 20 Results: Beat Colorado 11-6
Week 21 Opponent: vs Ottawa (8-9)
Previous Ranking: 5th
Saskatchewan may own the league’s second-best record and will host a first-round home game, but the Rush have not been nearly as dominant since the start of March. Since then, Saskatchewan has gone 3-3 with two losses coming at home. The Rush dominated a short-handed Mammoth team in the Loud House on Sunday to the tune of an 11-6 win. But outside of two wins over Colorado, Saskatchewan hasn’t authored a statement win since February 21 when they beat Vancouver prior to the Warriors’ trade for Christian Del Bianco. The Rush offense has been a source of concern recently, averaging just 9.7 goals per game since the start of March. Austin Shanks electrified the offense a bit on Sunday, posting four goals and seven points, while both Ryan Keenan and Jake Boudreau added two goals apiece. Frank Scigliano has a viable case for the league’s Goaltender of the Year award after stopping 86% of Colorado’s shots and improving his season-long save percentage to .795 in 15 games played. There is no question about Saskatchewan’s ceiling, but at the moment the Rush aren’t playing at the same level as the teams ahead of them in these rankings. The regular season concludes this weekend with Saskatchewan welcoming the Ottawa Black Bears to Saskatoon.
Week 20 Results: Idle
Week 21 Opponent: vs Toronto (5-11)
Previous Ranking: 3rd
With seven straight wins, it feels as though Rochester is cruising into the playoffs. The Knighthawks enjoyed a Bye in Week 20. Connor Fields is firmly planted in the MVP race, and he and Ryan Smith comprise the only pair of teammates to eclipse 40 goals this season. This year’s edition of the Knighthawks has left nothing up to chance, which has to delight head coach Mike Hasen. Last year’s group needed absolutely everything to go flawlessly in the season’s final week in order to make the playoffs. This year, Rochester has already locked up a spot and can bolster its seeding with a regular-season finale win over Toronto, who will be on the second leg of a back-to-back. Rochester may be somewhat offense-heavy, but this lineup is so dangerous that it’s reasonable to expect them to compensate for occasional defensive lapses. During the team’s seven-game winning streak, the offense has averaged 13.4 goals per game, never scoring less than a dozen markers.
MISSISSAUGA, CANADA – APRIL 11: the NLL regular season game between the Vancouver Warriors and the Toronto Rock at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre on April 11, 2025 in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Christian Bender/NLL)
Week 20 Results: Beat Toronto 12-10
Week 21 Opponent: vs Philadelphia (7-10)
Previous Ranking: 2nd
Folks who argue that the goaltender is the most important position on a roster ought to feel validated when evaluating Vancouver. The Warriors have already clinched a playoff spot and look like one of the league’s best teams with Christian Del Bianco between the pipes. While Del Bianco hasn’t played nearly enough this year to build a viable MVP case, but the Vancouver netminder has been the league’s best player since his return to action on March 14. The Warriors still haven’t lost a game with Del Bianco between the pipes—they have won five straight. Keegan Bal has been remarkably consistent as the team’s lead offensive threat, and the defense has been both stingy and deep all season. Curt Malawsky has built a behemoth out the back door, led by Del Bianco and supported by a perfect blend of experienced vets and talented youngsters. Vancouver might not be the playoff favorites yet, but the Warriors make their case stronger every week.
Buffalo Bandits on April 12, 2025 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. Halifax Thunderbirds @ Buffalo Bandits. (Caroline Sherman/NLL)
Week 20 Results: Beat Halifax 15-12
Week 21 Opponent: @ Georgia (8-9)
Previous Ranking: 1st
Buffalo followed back-to-back losses with back-to-back wins to comfortably settle in at the top of the Power Rankings once again. Both Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne have an outside chance to surpass Smith’s single-season points record in Week 21. Ian MacKay has been a revelation out the front door, anchoring the left side next to Byrne and scoring a career-high 35 goals. MacKay had never scored more than 19 goals in a season prior to this year, but the 30-year-old has proven to be the perfect complement to the league’s reigning MVP on the left side. Matt Vinc may be the league’s oldest player, but his numbers have him positioned for another appearance as a Goaltender of the Year finalist. The Bandits have won back-to-back titles for a reason and should feel as confident as ever following their win over Halifax; it required a sound performance in the final minutes to overcome one of the league’s best up-and-coming teams. The Bandits wrap up the regular season this weekend against a desperate Georgia team.
