On Friday night the Toronto Rock will host the Buffalo Bandits. The Bandits will be looking for a win in order to clinch home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
If the Rock lose any of their remaining games the Bandits will receive home field advantage. These two teams have met twice this season with the Bandits winning both games with identical 12-10 scores. This matchup will be a preview for the first round of the NLL playoffs as these two rivals will meet up to determine who faces off against the Knighthawks.
The Bandits have been on a downward slide as the season comes to close. The Bandits have lost their last five games. The Bandits will look to rebound against the Rock. The Bandits will need Ryan Benesch to continue his strong play along with Mark Steenhuis. The Bandits will also get John Tavares back in the lineup after he sat out last game against the Swarm in order to rest. If the Bandits can play a 60 minute game and keep pressure on the Rock they will win this game.
The Rock’s biggest flaw this season has been their inability to close out games as they tend to fade in the second half allowing their opponents to take control of games. In their last two games the Rock have shown improvement and have been able to close out games. If the Rock can get off to a good start and keep the pace going or the full game they will be in a good position to win this game.
The Rock though will be without Garrett Billings who will be out for the remainder of the season. The Rock will need Stephan Leblanc and Rob Hellyer to step up in order to make up for the loss of offense with Billings out.
This Should be a back an fourth affair but expect the Bandits to narrowly pull out the victory just as they have the previous two times this season.
