A lot is on the line heading into the final weekend of Major League Lacrosse regular season action. Between the battle for first place, the quest for a home game in the semifinals and most importantly, the battle for the fourth and final playoff berth, three out of the four games played on Saturday will have an impact in the playoff race.
Denver and Rochester are tied for first place with identical 9-4 records while New York stands one game behind at 8-5. Because the Outlaws and Rattlers split the season series, the tiebreak scenarios are complicated. To simplify it for Rochester, the Rattlers already know they will finish in the top two and host a semifinal game. To finish first, the Rattlers need to beat Boston on Saturday and have Denver lose to New York. Anything less than a win and an Outlaws loss means the No. 2 seed.
Meanwhile, Rochester’s opponent Boston has a lot more on the line. The Cannons are in a similar boat as Rochester, but rather for that all-important fourth seed. Boston needs to win and have Ohio lose to Florida. The Machine control their own destiny and clinch a playoff position with a victory against the Launch, who have been eliminated from postseason contention.
Denver versus New York features a battle for a home game in the semifinals. The Outlaws know if they win, they will be playing at home on August 16 as the No. 1 seed. A Denver loss would even the teams’ records at 9-5, but the Outlaws would still earn the No. 2 seed (ahead of the Lizards) as long as the loss is by four goals or fewer. This is due to goal differential between the two sides. If Rochester loses to create a three-way tie at 9-5, that’s where things get tricky. In this case, the tiebreak would go to goal differential in games featuring the three teams. Denver is still the top seed, as long as it loses by four goals or fewer. The Outlaws are the No. 2 seed if they lose by five or six goals. The only way they are not home for the semifinals is if they lose on Saturday by more than seven goals.
The only game of the weekend without playoff implications is Chesapeake against Charlotte, but the loser of that game will win something… the No. 1 overall pick in next January’s collegiate draft.
With the new playoff format implemented in 2014, Major League Lacrosse is getting what it hoped for: meaningful lacrosse until the very end.
