WEEK 18: TOP THINGS TO KNOW

It’s another three-day NLL weekend, starting with Ottawa at Philadelphia on Friday night. Then, the top eight teams in the League are in action on Saturday and Sunday, including a San Diego-Rochester matchup featuring two teams riding long winning streaks.

Hot ‘Hawks Host Streaking Seals

Saturday’s Seals-Knighthawks game pits two of the hottest teams in the League, with both riding winning streaks of at least three games. Rochester’s Connor Fields (105 PTS) remains the League leader in points this season and seeks to become the fourth player in League history with at least three 110-point seasons in his career (Dhane Smith (4), Shawn Evans (3), and Mark Matthews (3)).

Bandits Lean on Dynamic Duo

After starting 7-0, the Bandits are just 4-3 in their last seven games, including last week’s defeat to the FireWolves. Still, Buffalo’s dynamic duo of Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne have remained hot. Smith (104 PTS), who has accounted for four of the eight 130-point seasons in NLL history, ranks second in the League and is on pace for another 130-point campaign.

NLL on ESPN: Colorado at Saskatchewan

Fresh off a bye week following their largest loss of the season (17-9 loss at Halifax), the Rush and goalie Frank Scigliano will look to rebound. Despite giving up 13 goals in that defeat to the Thunderbirds, Scigliano boasts a League-best 9.78 GAA. He’ll have his hands full against a balanced Colorado attack. The Mammoth have five players with 20+ goals this season, tied with Buffalo for the most 20-goal scorers in the League.

NLL on ESPN: Halifax at Georgia

The Thunderbirds are 9-2 since starting the season 0-3, including four straight road wins. In fact, Halifax hasn’t lost away from home since December 21. On the flip side, the Swarm have gone just 3-7 in their last 10 games following a 4-0 start. More concerning, the team has dropped four straight home games, with their last win coming on December 14.

Can Wings Right the Ship?

The Wings will look to snap the longest losing streak in franchise history against the Black Bears on Friday night at 7 pm ET. Philadelphia’s seven straight losses are the most by any team in the League since Albany dropped 10 straight from January 21-April 1, 2023. Meanwhile, Ottawa hopes to pick up another victory after snapping their own four-game skid with a 14-9 win over the Mammoth last week.

Bal on Box Out

In this week’s episode of NLL Box Out with Maki and Coop, Warriors forward Keegan Bal stops by to discuss the team’s recent success following the Christian Del Bianco trade.

NLL TOP PLAYS

Another top play for Dyson Williams? Check out his behind-the-back score and more top plays from Week 17!

POWER RANKINGS: WEEK 18

Did the Bandits’ third loss in seven games cause a shakeup in Cooper Perkins’ latest Power Rankings? Find out here.