We are almost at the midway point. It’s week nine, there are 21 weeks in the regular season. Last week was packed with action. Bye weeks are back in earnest this week. Only four games on the schedule. Somehow, Buffalo has already had three byes. Rochester hasn’t had one, and they’re in action this week. It all sorts out in the end. Toronto and Albany are two key teams to watch each week now. The Rock are starting to get healthy and look like their old (dangerous) selves. Albany is a better team than their record might suggest, I don’t care what Bill Parcells has to say about it.
Friday night has some good Lax After Dark for us east coasters in North America, while Saturday’s game between Saskatchewan and Albany should be a gem. All spreads are from DraftKings and accurate as of the time of publication. Enjoy the action.
FRIDAY
Who: Toronto Rock (1-5) vs Calgary Roughnecks (3-2)
Where: WestJet Field at ScotiaBank Saddledome, Calgary
When: 9:00pm EST
The Spread: Toronto favored by 1.5 (+105), game total set at 23.5
Who: Ottawa Black Bears (4-2) vs Vancouver Warriors (3-3)
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver
When: 10:00pm, EST
The Spread: Vancouver favored by 1.5 (+124), game total set at 21.5
SATURDAY
Who: Colorado Mammoth (4-3) vs Rochester Knighthawks (3-5)
Where: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester
When: 7:00pm, EST
The Spread: Colorado favored by 1.5 (+100), game total set at 24.5
Who: Albany FireWolves (2-5) vs Saskatchewan Rush (4-2)
Where: SaskTel Centre
When: 8:00pm, EST
The Spread: Saskatchewan favored by 1.5 (+124), game total set at 21.5
STORIES TO WATCH
Albany enters schedule hell
The FireWolves feel downright unlucky. They have a 2-5 record, but their scoring differential is +5. The win against Colorado at home last week may be just what they needed. It was their first home game of the year that didn’t end in an overtime loss. It’s also a quality win over an above .500 team. But things are only getting harder. This weekend kicks off a tough stretch over the next month or so for the Wolves. They’re on the road in Saskatchewan against the 4-2 Rush, then they visit Banditland, then back home for Ottawa then Philly. Those are the current top four teams in the standings. Albany cannot afford to go winless over the next four. A 2-9 record makes for an irrecoverable season. This is the start of a season defining run of four games. Albany is banged up, but they’ve looked better of late. Doug Jamieson’s play over the next month will be huge.
The Rush go as Zach goes
Saskatchewan sits at 4-2. In their four wins, Zach Manns has 27 points, the lowest production being a five point game against Albany in the opener. In their two losses, he has four points, two each against Toronto and Philadelphia. It’s not groundbreaking to say a game outcome for a team is dependent on the performance of their top offensive player. But the production difference is especially stark in Rush wins and losses for Manns. He leads the team with 18 goals, only Austin Shanks is also in double digits. Robert Church being back in the lineup is a good thing and makes the offense deeper, but the goals need to flow from more places on nights where Manns’ shots aren’t falling.
Can the Rock start rolling?
Toronto got Tom Schreiber and TD Ierlan back last week. Ierlan went 60% facing off, and Schreiber had seven points including a hat trick. Nick Rose outdueled Frank Scigliano. The return of TD and Captain America sparked the Rock to their first win of the year, a home victory of a good Rush team. But the news hasn’t been all good. Jamie Dawick appeared on Lacrosse Classified Podcast and said that Mark Matthews injury is indeed season ending. They go on the road this weekend and next weekend. The Rock still aren’t 100% healthy, but Schreiber and Ierlan can really change things for them. Latrell Harris could return soon. They may sit at 1-5, but the schedule has winnable games for them. They’ve had very winnable games before, sometimes results that came down to perhaps dubious replay calls. If they really get hot and string wins together, they could be 4-5 going into a home game against Buffalo. That would be a battle to get to .500.
Rochester needs the D to show up
The Hawks have had the toughest road so far just in terms of volume. They’re the only team to play eight games so far. They’re the first team, again partially because of just volume of games, to give up over 100 goals this year. They surrender 12.65 goals per game. Only Halifax, Vegas, and Calgary have been worse. Their opponent this week is Colorado, who puts up over 13 goals per game. Only Philly, Buffalo and Halifax are better. The Mammoth already have four 30 point scorers. The only other team that can say that is Rochester. Will Malcom has been justified being the top pick in the dispersal draft, and healthy Ryan Lee has been excellent. The Mammoth offense looks very good on both sides, and defensive lapses from Rochester or some shakiness in goal will sink them in a hurry.
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