The Buffalo Bandits Are Headed Back to the Championship
The Buffalo Bandits completed the series sweep of the Toronto Rock on Saturday night by a score of 17-8. Last year the Bandits needed every second of both games against Toronto to sneak past them. This year, with Toronto looking like arguably the team to beat in the East, it was a vastly different story. If you predicted the Bandits would defeat Toronto, by a combined goal differential of +18, you may need a job in Las Vegas predicting odds.
Normally, I do not love listing many stats in an article but if there was ever a time to do so this is it. The Buffalo Bandits demolished their Eastern Division foes to cruise to a 3-0 start to the playoffs. Let us look at some of these ridiculous numbers through three games.
Through three games…
Goals for – 51
Goals against - 21
Goal differential - +30
Power play – Has scored 8/13 – 61.5%
Penalty Kill – Has killed 8/14 – 57.1%
Team Leader in Points – Josh Byrne/Dhane Smith – 26 points each
Team Leader in Goals – Josh Byrne/Chris Cloutier – 11 goals each
Team Leader in Assists – Dhane Smith – 20 assists
Matt Vinc -
Saves - 129
GA - 20
GAA - 7.07
Save Percentage - 86.6
The number one stat that stands out the most is the goal differential. Through three playoff games last season the Bandits had a plus 7-goal differential. This year it is at an insane plus 30-goal differential. Those numbers, especially with two games against the Rock, do not happen. Not to mention the offense was struggling the entire season to put games away. It is often mentioned how important it is to hit your stride at the right time and head into the playoffs playing your best. The Bandits were the number one team in the NLL during the regular season. However, the way they are playing right now is by far the best we have seen them all year.
The offense, my goodness are they firing on all cylinders. Looking at the numbers above, once again a few things stand out. It is great to have players with a high number of points but that will happen when you score 51 goals in three games averaging an even 17 goals per game. The big thing that stands out to me is having Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne tied in points, but doing it in different ways. It is no surprise that Dhane has more assists and Josh has more goals. However, that does not make it any less important. Having two alpha players on each side of the field that can contribute in different ways is massive to the diversity of an offense. Dhane can absolutely score goals and Josh can absolutely put up assists. That is what makes them such a threat. They each may be a little better than the other one at their style of offense but when push comes to shove, both are a major threat at any time.
Heading into the last game of the season, we mentioned how important it was for Chris Cloutier to regain his scoring touch for playoffs. Now, through three games, he sits tied with Josh Byrne for the team lead in goals. Not only does it add another major weapon the defense has to account for, but also it shows what a (at times underrated) threat Cloutier can be.
The other pieces on offense that are making a major impact are Kyle Buchanan (4g, 8a) and Tehoka Nanticoke (7g, 4a). The difference this offense is seeing when the team is healthy (outside of Brandon Robinson) is staggering. The style of offense that Nanticoke plays is nearly unmatched in the NLL. He takes more punishment in one game than players do in an entire season, all while having a smile on his face. He draws penalties, sets picks, plays physical and scores highlight reel goals almost every game.
Buchanan on the other hand is a player we were not sure if the team was going to bring back but I am very glad they did. He is the oldest player on the offense and uses his veteran presence to do so many of the little things so well. He is a player that consistently disrupts the other team’s ability to leave the zone cleanly and plays every play at one hundred percent.
On defense, the usual suspects have somehow found a way to play even better. Ian MacKay (22lb, 4cto) and Steve Priolo (22lb, 2cto) have been this team’s backbone on defense all season. MacKay has somehow found a way to elevate his game even more in the playoffs. His ability to play a true 200-foot game has been incredible. When he went down in the first game against Toronto and looked like he might not get back up, I thought to myself, there is no one on the team that can replace Ian MacKay. That is true for a few players on this team, but I do not think any are as overlooked as MacKay.
For Priolo, the biggest change I have seen from him in the playoffs is the lack of penalties and fighting. Through three games, Priolo has received zero penalty minutes. The team leader in penalty minutes throughout the season has zero in playoffs. That is almost as impressive as the plus 30-goal differential. Priolo is not playing soft by any means, but he is playing smart. He is not allowing the other team to get in his head and draw soft penalties from him. In both Toronto games, Toronto actively tried to get Priolo to snap but he was not allowing it to happen. Rock Captain, Challen Rogers, was called for a 5-minute major in the final game against Toronto. Rogers was only given 10 minutes worth of penalties throughout the entire season. The Bandits would go on to score seven goals while he was in the box. That is the importance of keeping your best players on the field.
Two players that have stepped up in the playoffs this year that were not around last year are Justin Robinson and Adam Bomberry. Justin Robinson (2g, 1a) finally returned from injury late in the season and seems to be in mid-season form already. Robinson has not only shown the incredible defensive ability he had last year but has also added a bit of a transition aspect to his game. Bomberry has played as advertised since coming over from the trade with the Albany Firewolves. He is a lock down defender and he is playing his part in helping this defense look even better than it did all season.
The not washed up Matt Vinc could not be playing any better than he is right now. Averaging just over seven goals a game with a save percentage over 86 percent he is dialed in. He has been locked in since the very first quarter of playoffs against the Rochester Knighthawks. Another stat few are mentioning about Vinc is the even strength goals he is letting in. If one was to take out the power play goals he has allowed, his goals against in the three playoff games would drop to only 15 goals allowed. That would lower his goals against per game to roughly five goals per game, not including the little bit of time he has been pulled at the end of two of the games. That number is beyond incredible.
Speaking of the special teams unit, overall they have performed quite well. On the offensive power play side of the ball, converting 61.5% of their chances is a solid conversion rate in the NLL. On the defensive penalty kill side of the ball, killing off 57.1% of the penalty opportunities is decent, but could be a little better. Just over a quarter of the goals scored by the opposing teams are coming from their power play. Outside of the impressive 0/5 stat line they put up against Toronto in game one, the unit could be performing a little better. They allowed 3 of 4 against Rochester in game one and 3 of 5 against Toronto in game two. If there were anywhere to be a bit nitpicky on this team right now, it would be the penalty kill.
Finally, as much as I hate to admit it, we have to talk about the referees. I am not going to go through every call or blown call as I have in the past. There was one thing we were hoping for with the refs come playoff time, be consistent. I do not mind if you call the game too close. It is not my favorite way to play but if that is how you want to call it that is fine. I do not mind if you call the game too loose. It can get out of hand and at times too physical but again, if that is how you want to call it that is fine. What I do mind is being inconsistent. The refs in both games against Toronto, especially game one, lost control of the game quickly. They started by letting the teams play and be physical, switched to calling it too closely as the game got a bit out of control, and then continued to flip back and forth. This makes it very confusing for the players to understand what is being allowed and what is not. Clearly, it did not affect the outcome of any of the games, but I hope that the games will be better called in the next round.
The Bandits are in a spot they have become familiar with, the championship series. This will be their third straight trip to the finals and four in the last six seasons. It is time to bring it home. I said on our last episode, if not now, when? This team is firing on all cylinders right now. Every aspect of the team is clicking and playing great. They have learned from the mistakes of the past finals. They fought all season in close battles and know what it takes to grind out a win. Taking care of the East Division in the fashion they did, they are locked in more than we have seen in past years. This is the year, it is finally time to end the drought.
Go out and get it Bandits!