PK’s NLL Power Rankings - Week 21
1. Toronto Rock – 14-3 (Last Week: #2)
Can you say cruise control? This is for 2 reasons. First because they have locked up the top seed in the playoffs ahead of the final week of the season. Secondly because that is what they were able to do in the 2nd half of Saturdays game which they won 13-6. A 10-1 half time lead all but wrapped up their win behind a 4 PP goal 2nd. Rochester had a 4 goal run in the 2nd half but they were only able to get it down to a 5 goal lead. Chris Boushy led the way netting 4 while Corey Small scored 3 of his own in his 5 point night. Mark Matthews and Tom Schreiber mirrored one another going 1/4/5 on the night while Mitch de Snoo continues to put his name in the mix for defender of the year with a 2 assist, 12LB and 2 CTO night. And the awards might not stop with the runners as Nick Rose was once again electric going 44/50 to extend his Goalie of the Year lead and a possible MVP trophy to match. In non-playoff news, a reminder that the Rock currently hold Las Vegas 1st rounder which currently is 2nd overall. The rich get richer. Toronto heads to Saskatchewan with nothing to play for other than possibly keeping the Rush out of the playoffs. Regardless of the outcome they will host their first playoff match up at home on Saturday the 27th at 4:30pm
2. Buffalo Bandits – 10-7 (Last Week: #3)
Up to #2 are your defending champs, the Bandits after their 14-7 win over Calgary Saturday night. Winners of 3 straight and 5 of their last 6. The Bandits are hitting their stride at the perfect time. Buffalo jumped out to a 5-0 lead as well as a 9-2 halftime lead in what was their best game of the year. Josh Byrne (2/5/7) and Dhane Smith (1/6/7) led the way in points but it was the secondary scoring of Chase Fraser (4/0/4), Chris Cloutier (3/1/4), Kyle Buchanan (2/2/4) and Tehoka Nanticoke (1/2/3) that saw the leagues leader in goal scoring take the victory. But what was more impressive to me was the play on the back end. Matt Vinc was his old self in this one making 43/50 save while the defense had their best game of the year. 14 blocked shots, 7 CTO and electric defending saw the team give up their fewest goals on the year. The only down I saw was a nasty injury to Dylan Robinson who was playing his best ball of the year. He went down in the 4th and was unable to put any weight on that let leg. We will see throughout the week of any roster moves made. Buffalo sits 5th in the standings but can either rise to #3 with some help or they could fall to #7 with a loss. Plenty of outcomes ahead of their game Saturday in Vegas.
3. San Diego Seals – 12-5 (Last Week: #1)
After a quick 2-0 lead for the Seals, the Rush went on a 9 goal run from the 1st to the 3rd to take a 9-2 lead. For those non math people. It was a 29:58 goal drought for the Seals. It all resulted in a 13-8 loss Saturday night. Jacob Dunbar went 2/2/4 while Wes Berg and Austin Staats combined for 2/7/9. It was an off night for Chris Origlieri who went 21/31 before Mike Poulin came in to settle it down making 15/18 saves. With the Rock winning earlier, the Seals were locked into that #2 seed which they will host their playoff game on Saturday the 27th at 10pm meaning their final week of the season means nothing for the team who face Vancouver. The only question mark going into the playoff is their opponent. It could be Buffalo, Halifax, New York, Panther City, Saskatchewan, or Vancouver.
4. Georgia Swarm – 10-7 (Last Week: #4)
While 13 other teams were in action, Georgia was getting ready for an important Week 21 matchup vs Rochester. With a win they lock up a top 4 seed which means a home playoff game to kick off the playoffs. It also eliminates Rochester form the playoffs. They are in the playoffs regardless but a loss could have them slip from their current 4th seed down to a 6th seed depending on other results. They have the head to head matchups over Buffalo and Halifax, but Albany and Panther City have the edge on the Swarm. It a tight log jam for seeds 3-8 as we have a lot to sort out in the final 3 days of the regular season. Georgia goes into their 18th game on a 2 game winning streak and winners of 4 of the last 5 including allowing under 10 goals in their last 2. The Swarm appear to be heating up at the perfect time and are 6-2 at home so getting that home playoff game is massive as is trying to get that 3rd seed and on the other side of the Rock in the Bracket.
5. Vancouver Warriors – 8-9 (Last Week: #8)
The run continues for Vancouver who have now won 5 straight and 6 of their last 7 after their 16-10 win over NY on Saturday night. After NY got out to a 5-3 lead in the 2nd, Vancouver would score 5 straight and 8 of the next 9 to finish off the win. Ryan Martel led the scorers with a 4/5/9 day with Adam Charalambides (4/4/8) and Keegan Bal (3/5/8) right behind him. 8 total players had multi point nights, while 11 total walked out with at least 1. Aden Walsh was not very busy in net making just 23/33 saves as the defense in front of him was great. 11 CTO and 6 blocked shots on the night from the crew including Ryan Dilks who had 4 CTO himself. Vancouver now travels to San Diego who have nothing to playoff for on Friday night. A win nearly locks up a playoff spot unless Halifax and Saskatchewan both win as well with a couple other smaller things. The only way they can make it with a loss is with help from Albany, PC and TOR along with 1 loss from Rochester. In short, Win and you give yourself a great chance to get in.
6. Halifax Thunderbirds – 9-8 (Last Week: #5)
Another team that was watching in week 20 ahead of their important 18th game of the year. Coming off their 15-13 loss to Vancouver, Halifax will host Colorado Saturday night with a chance to climb up to the 5th seed with a win and a Buffalo Loss. But on the other hand, with a loss, Halifax could slip all the way to the 8th seed and face Toronto in the 1st round. Halifax is 1-5 vs teams that are locked into a playoff spot with their only win a come from behind victory against Buffalo. The team is also 9-2 when they score 12 or more goals and 0-6 when they fail to reach that mark. They look fully healthy going into the important matchup on Saturday as they look to lock up at least the 6th seed with a win over the Mammoth.
7. Panther City Lacrosse Club – 9-8 (Last Week: #9)
Panther City took care of business on Sunday with their 11-7 win over Albany. A 6-0 run to start the game before Albany would go on a 4 goal run to end the 1st half. PC would score the first 5 of 6 in the 2nd half before Albany would add 2 late goals with under 33 seconds to play. Callum Crawford led the way with 4 goals while Brandon Goodwin had his best game of the year netting 3. Will Malcolm (2/3/5) and Jonathan Donville (0/4/4) did their normal play up top in the victory. But it was the play of Nick Damude making 54/61 saves including massive 2nd half saves to lead PC one step closer to back to back playoff appearance. But if you want an example of what the Unified standings have done to the league this team is just that. They can finish anywhere from the #3 seed all the way to missing the playoffs completely. On the plus side the only way they miss the playoffs is with a Loss to Calgary, Colorado win over Halifax, and a Saskatchewan win over Toronto. Anything else and they are in.
8. Albany Firewolves – 10-7 (Last Week: #6)
With a chance to lock up the #3 seed in the playoffs, Albany dropped their 5th straight game with a 11-7 loss to Panther City. PC jumped out to a 6-0 led before the Firewolves scored the final 4 of the 1st half. Panther City would go on to score the next 5 of 6 in the 2nd half to take an 11-5 led before Albany would tack on 2 late goals. Ethan Walker and Sam Firth both went 1/2/3 on the night while John Piatelli added 2 of his own. But it was the play of the rookies that really cost the team. Tye Kurtz and Alex Simmons combined for 1/26 shooting on the night. In net Doug Jamieson went 30/40. In the 10 wins, Simmons is averaging 2.5/3.6/6.1 while Kurtz is averaging 1.9/2.8/4.7. In the 7 losses, Simmons is at 1.29/2.29/3.57 and Kurtz is 1.43/1.72/3.14. When the rookies are on the team wins. When they are struggling the team has off nights. Albany heads to NY on Saturday with their seed for the playoffs still up in the air. They can finish anywhere from 3-6. A win or a Buffalo/Georgia/PC loss locks up the 3rd seed. But if Albany falters they could slip to 6th with those 3 teams winning.
9. Saskatchewan Rush – 8-9 (Last Week: #11)
In a must win game, the Rush got the upset in vs the Seals 13-8 on Saturday night. Down 2-0 early in the game, SAS went on a 9 goal run spanning 3 quarters and shut out the Seals for nearly 30 minutes. SD got it within 4 with 9:09 to go but that was the closest they would get. Zach Manns was a monster scoring 5 to go with his 7 point night. Ryan Keenan added 2 for himself while 4 other players had multi assist nights. In Net Frank Scigliano was on making 40/48 saves to give the Rush a shot at playoffs. They go into another must win weekend. A Loss will eliminate them regardless of what else happens. As long as PC, NY and VAN don’t all win, the Rush have a great shot at making it. It’s been a very tough stretch for the Rush who had the majority of the games back loaded. But a win vs Toronto who has nothing to play for gets them a legit shot at sneaking in at 9-9.
10. New York Riptide – 8-9 (Last Week: #7)
The Riptide had a chance to control their playoff fate with a win last weekend, but a 16-10 loss in Vancouver set them back and now they need help. NY held a 5-3 lead early in the 2nd before Vancouver went on to score 8 of the next 9 and 13 of the final 18 goals of the game. Jeff teat finished with a nice 3/3/6 stat line while Stephen Keogh added 2 goals himself. Larson sundown and Reilly O’Connor combined to hand out 7 assists in the game but the rest of the offense was relatively quiet. In Net they let Cam Dunkerley stick this one out making 32/48 saves in a rough outing from the young net minder. Now their attention turns to how they can get in. Any Vancouver win puts them out of the playoffs regardless of any other outcomes. If NY losses, they also would need, VAN, PC and SAS all to lose to get in as well as 1 loss by Rochester. Another outcome is if NY wins along with SD, HAL, CAL and SAS, they’d miss the playoffs. In short, Win and SD beats Vancouver and your odds jump way up to get into the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
11. Calgary Roughnecks – 7-10 (Last Week: #10)
Calgary has officially been eliminated from the playoffs with their 14-7 loss to Buffalo and Panther City getting a win on Sunday. The Roughnecks went down early in this one trailing 4-0 after the 1st and 9-2 at half time. Besides a 3 goal run to end the 3rd, Calgary’s offense could not get anything going which resulted in their 6th game scoring fewer than 10 goals. Tyler Pace and Jesse King both had 4 points while Josh Currier wet 1/2/3. It was not a good night for Christian Del Bianco who made 39/53 save while being pulled 2 times. They currently hold the 5th pick in the draft in September and can play spoiler Saturday when they face Panther City in their season finale.
12. Philadelphia Wings – 6-11 (Last Week: #14)
It was not the season a lot of people saw coming for Philly, but it was for us. We were not high on them going into the season and were very confused on all the hype going in. While they are currently 8th in scoring, they are 14th in GAA which stands at 13 on the year. They just give up far too many shots on Zach Higgins who sits at 708 saves on the year which is good for 9th in an NLL season and 45 away from breaking the NLL record. But Higgins was behind another 39 save performance in the team’s 16-12 win Friday night over Colorado which officially eliminated them from the playoffs. What’s even better is they have the Mammoths 1st round pick in September which atm is 1st overall. Philly took a 5-0 1st quarter and a 4 goal run in the 4th to gather up their 6th win of the year. Mitch Jones (4/4/8), and Joe Resetarits (3/4/7) led the way as they have done all year long for the team. They will play in the final game of the year on Sunday looking to play some possible spoiler vs Rochester. But all eyes will be on Colorado Halifax with a chance at the 1st pick.
13. Las Vegas Desert Dogs – 5-12 (Last Week: #15)
With a little 3 goal run in the 4th, Las Vegas was able to take down Colorado 12-11, snap their 6 game losing streak, and match their win total from last year. They are now 5-2 when keeping their opponents at 11 or fewer goals on the year. But that has been the case all year for the team that is 14th in the league in scoring. Jack Hannah pumped in 4 on the night while Charlie Bertrand had his best game of the year going 2/3/5. Marshal King, Rob Hellyer and Casey Jackson combined for 3/12/15 on the night. In net Landon Kells put on a stellar performance making 48/59 saves in the victory. It was a nice win for this young club who continues to build with their young pieces. Unfortunately, their 1st round pick belongs to Toronto after the Hellyer trade in 2022. They get the Bandits at home on Saturday night with a chance to push the Bandits further down in the playoff seeding.
14. Rochester Knighthawks – 6-10 (Last Week: #12)
At this point I’m rooting for the pattern to be completed. For those that don’t know the pattern. Rochester went on a 3 game winning streak, then a 6 game losing streak. They followed that with a 3 game winning streak. And with 2 games to go, they are on a 4 game losing streak. That losing streak got to 4 after a 13-6 loss to the Rock on Saturday that saw the Knighhawks go down 10-1 at half. A big issue for Rochester in this one was how many PP chances they allowed Toronto. 10. Toronto went 4-10 on the PP and all 4 of the goals were in the 2nd. Connor Fields struggled in this one having a 3 point night but shot just 1/11. Ryan Lanchbury handed out 3 helpers while Kyle Waters and Ryan Smith both went 1/1/2. No one else saw more than a point in the loss. Riley Hutchcraft went 28/37 in net. But the story of the night was the return to play of Rylan Hartley. He got into last week’s game but this was his first meaningful action since his scary concussion early in the year. He went 23/26 in net and looked like his normal self which was awesome to see. It’s a massive weekend for the Hawks. They sit at 6-10 on the year but can still sneak in. They need to win both games along with Tor over SAS, SD over VAN and ALB over NY.
15. Colorado Mammoth – 5-12 (Last Week: #13)
It was not the weekend the Colorado was looking for at all. With back to back games, Colorado could have inched themselves closer to a playoff spot. But alas, the drop both and sit 15th in the standings. First game was a 16-12 loss to Philly. Zed Williams and Connor Kelly had 3 goals apiece while Eli McLaughlin went 2/4/6. But the story was in net where Dillon Ward left 10 minutes in after injury after making just 1 save. Flash forward one night to Saturday and it was Las Vegas getting the 12-11 win over Colorado. The Mammoth led 10-9 going into the 4th but a 3 goal run by Vegas saw the led quickly disappear. Connor Kelly continued his excellent season netting 5 while it was Tyson Gibson going 3/4/7 on the night when McLaughlin was held scoreless on 10 shots. Tyler Carlson and Nate Faccin split the game going 45/57 on the night. Now while you might think this isn’t the end of the world for the team, I may have to remind you they do not own their own first rounder this year. That is now with Philly via NY from the Tyson Gibson trade from 2022. Mammoth will attempt to upset Halifax on Saturday before heading into an interesting offseason.