Seven more games on the NLL slate for the weekend. For some teams, it’s desperation time. Ottawa has dropped three straight and needs to right the ship, but they have to go to Halifax to do it on Friday, then turn around and host Colorado on Sunday. Buffalo can lock up a playoff spot with a win at home against cellar dweller Vegas. It’s time to separate the weak from the chaff. Here’s the slate:
FRIDAY
Who: Ottawa Black Bears (5-7) vs Halifax Thunderbirds (8-5)
Where: Scotiabank Centre, Halifax
When: 6:00pm EDT
The Spread: Halifax favored by 1.5 (-135), game total set at 22.5
Who: Las Vegas Desert Dogs (3-11) vs Buffalo Bandits (10-2)
Where: KeyBank Center, Buffalo
When: 7:30pm EDT
The Spread: Buffalo favored by 3.5 (-120), game total set at 25.5
SATURDAY
Who: Philadelphia Wings (5-8) vs Toronto Rock (4-9)
Where: Paramount Fine Foods Centre, Toronto
When: 7:00pm EDT
The Spread: Toronto favored by 1.5 (-105), game total set at 22.5
Who: Buffalo Bandits (10-2) vs Albany FireWolves (5-9)
Where: MVP Arena, Albany
When: 7:00pm EDT
The Spread: Not available until after Buffalo’s Friday game
Who: San Diego Seals (7-6) vs Calgary Roughnecks (7-7)
Where: Westjet Field at ScotiaBank Saddledome, Calgary
When: 9:00pm EDT
The Spread: San Diego favored by 1.5 (-105), game total set at 23.5
Who: Georgia Swarm (7-6) vs Vancouver Warriors (6-7)
Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver
When: 10:00pm EDT
The Spread: Georgia favored by 1.5 (+110), game total set at 21.5
SUNDAY
Who: Colorado Mammoth (8-5) vs Ottawa Black Bears (5-7)
Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa
When: 3:00pm EDT
The Spread: Not Available until after Ottawa’s Friday game
STORIES TO WATCH
Doubleheaders, double impact
No, I’m not talking about the hit 1991 film starring Jean Claude Van Damme. It’s a double impact kind of weekend for a pair of NLL squads. Two teams have a double dip this weekend, Buffalo and Ottawa. For the Black Bears, it’s the key weekend of their season. They sit at 5-7, and they’ve lost three straight. If the playoffs started today, they’re out. With six games to go, they can get things turned around, but if they drop both games this weekend, consider them on life support. The matchups aren’t easy. They travel to Halifax Friday night, then host Colorado. But this is crunch time for Ottawa, they’re playing for their season. For Buffalo, it’s a different story. The Bandits can lock up a playoff spot with a win on Friday night, and all it takes is beating the worst team in the league in Banditland. Seems straightforward. With a playoff spot locked up, all Buffalo has to play for is positioning and the one seed. The playoffs running through Banditland would be a hell of an advantage, although it might not even matter. Buffalo has yet to lose on the road this season.
Everything coming up Albany?
The FireWolves deserve attention right now. They’ve won two straight, and they’ve been much better offensively. Doug Jamieson has been hot. At 5-9, make no mistake, they are looking up at the playoff field. But circumstances this weekend might be in their favor, even with the difficult matchup of Buffalo. Albany hosts the Bandits on Saturday. The Bandits will have played a game at home the night before. It’s also possible, even likely, that the Bandits clinch the night before as noted above. Albany could host a Buffalo team on the second half of a back to back that has a playoff spot locked up. It’s a set of circumstances that makes Buffalo vulnerable. Albany is probably looking at needing to win out to feel good about a playoff spot, but it’s not crazy to think they could.Â
It’s tough to be a spectator in March
Rochester had a seriously front loaded schedule. They’ve already played 15 games; their bye weeks all happen towards the end of the regular season. They currently are 8-7, and this is an idle weekend for them. It’s not easy to watch at this time of year. As of today, Rochester, Colorado, and Halifax have eight wins. Buffalo and Saskatchewan have ten, but everyone else is below those teams in win total. But Sunday night, that’s going to change. Colorado and Halifax could feasibly have nine wins. Georgia, San Diego, or Calgary could join Rochester at eight wins. There are seismic shifts in the landscape every week right now, being the team at home on the couch watching them happen is not a fun place to be.Â