As we approach the last month of the regular season three teams have clinched a spot in the 2013 playoffs(Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary) and two more can clinch this weekend (Philadelphia and Washington)
This week in the NLL we have 5 games on the schedule. On Friday night we have two games…
We first start with the Buffalo Bandits (5-7) vs Toronto (8-4). The bandits are in desperate need of a win to draw closer to a playoff berth, a loss could put them very close to the outside looking in. For Toronto this is their first game of two this weekend as they look to rebound at home after a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Rush. Buffalo will look for Williams, Wilson and Steenhuis to hopefully come alive and Anthony Cosmo to get back on his game to put the Bandits back in the win column and give Toronto another home loss. For the Rock, Nick Rose will be back between the pipes after only playing 16:37 last week before being pulled. No doubt he will be a player to watch. On the offense Colin Doyle, Garrett Billings, Josh Sanderson will look to continue being the power of the offense.
Wings (5-5) vs Swarm (4-7) This will be a very big game for the Wings as Brandon Miller will be serving his one game suspension from an altercation vs the Washington Stealth. Angus Dinely will get the start and Chris Collins will serve as back-up. The Wings will also have their full roster as Brendan Mundorf makes his 2013 debut on the left side, Brodie Merrill, Brett Manney also return for the Wings, so it will be interesting to see how they come out in the first quarter which has been a slow start for them. For the Swarm, they continue to go without Andrew Suitor who is recovering from ACL/MCL surgery. After losing 3 in a row, the Swarm made a statement by defeating the Stealth 12-5. It will be interesting to see how the rookies of the Swarm (Matisz, Jackson, Sorenson, Crepnisek) handle the defense of the Wings.
Saturday Night.
Toronto Rock (8-4) vs Rochester Knighthawks (4-6) In a second game of back to back for Toronto they travel to Rochester. The Rock are 5-1 on the road while the Hawks are 1-5 at home. This is a must game for the defending champs as they need to take advantage of Toronto playing the night before and start to climb up in the standings and draw closer to a playoff berth. Look for Cody Jamieson, Steven Keogh, Dan Dawson, Johnny Powless to start running early in the hopes of tiring the Rock. For Toronto, its basically the same as Friday night.
Philadelphia Wings (5-5) v Colorado Mammoth (4-8) Brandon Miller makes his return after a one game suspension. The big question here is, how will the Wings deal with the high altitude. Last season Brendan Mundorf scored the game winner with less then 5 seconds to go. Will the altitude affect them? Can the Wings win back to back games again? For Colorado, they will be throwing a new goalie at the Wings in Tye Belanger (2-1) and the offense addition of Casey Powell. Can the rookie goaltender handle the fire power of the Wings? IS Colorado starting to slowly catch fire heading towards a possible playoff berth?
Calgary Roughnecks (7-5) v Washington Stealth (7-5) This is the first of two consecutive meetings (April 6 in Calgary). Both teams sit only a half game out of first behind the Edmonton Rush. Either one of the three can capture the West. For Calgary, they started catching fire with “Superman” Curtis Dickson being the super hero last week at home by scoring the tying , the go ahead and game winning goal last week as they defeated Colorado in OT. Can the offensive power of Calgary keep Washington on their heels? Can Mike Poulin stand tall against the scoring power of the Stealth. For Washington, can Tyler Richards rebound after a 12-5 beating by the Swarm? Can Iannucci, Ratcliff, & Duch return to form and show Washington is for real.
Playoff Scenarios:
Philadelphia can clinch a playoff berth with 2 Wins this weekend
Toronto can clinch a home playoff game with 2 Wins, and clinch the East with 2 Wins and 2 losses by the Wings
Washington can clinch a playoff berth with a win over Calgary OR a Colorado loss OR a Minnesota loss this weekend.
