The Edmonton Rush finished on top of the western conference this year with a record of 16 wins and 2 losses. The Rush will be holding their first ever home playoff game in the second round and will face off against the winner of the first round matchup between the Colorado Mammoth and the Calgary Roughnecks.
During the regular season the Rush won the season series against the Roughnecks winning two of the three games they played against Calgary. The Rush lost the final regular season meeting between these two teams losing 14-13 in overtime. Overall this season though in three matchups the Rush outscored the Roughnecks 43-29. The Rush if they meet the Roughnecks in the playoffs should be able to win the matchup thanks to their offensive depth. Edmonton’s ability to score by committee makes them one of the strongest teams in the NLL as you cannot just focus on one player.
Against the Colorado Mammoth this season the Rush won two out of three games the two teams played this season. Unlike the Matchups against Calgary all the matchups against the Mammoth this season were close affairs as the Rush only outscored the Mammoth 33- 31. The Mammoth also hold the distinction of ending Edmonton’s 14 game winning streak this season. The Mammoth would definitely be a tougher opponent for the Rush then the Roughnecks as the Mammoth have been able to limit Edmonton’s offense in the past three meetings this season. If the Colorado defense can put together a defensive effort similar to the one that ended Edmonton’s 14 game winning streak they will be able to upset the Rush.
In the end expect the Rush to be paying close attention to this weekend’s matchup between the Roughnecks and the Mammoth as they will be studying both teams in hopes of gaining an edge on the victor in the next round.
