NLL Insider

Buckle up for one of the busiest National Lacrosse League weeks of the season as 10 games are set to go down. And it’s not just the number of games that makes it exciting, it’s the ramification of the games. With just three weekends left in the regular season, the only sure thing we’ve got so far is Calgary clinching a playoff berth out West. That leaves 11 teams still in the running for the postseason, and this weekend’s schedule will go a long way in determining just who will dance, and who will not.

Boston (7-5) at Toronto (5-8), Friday at 7:30 p.m. (EST)

The Blazers missed a fantastic opportunity last weekend to gain ground on East-leading Buffalo. The Bandits were surprised by the Titans at home last weekend, and the Blazers dropped a close road game to the Knighthawks. Still, Boston’s just one game behind Buffalo in the standings and a win over Toronto Friday could close that gap with the Bandits coming to Boston on Saturday night. Two of Boston’s final three games is against Buffalo, setting up would could be a fantastic sprint to the finish. First things first, Toronto.

“It’ll be a good test to see how the guys respond,” Boston coach Tom Ryan said of coming off the loss. “A lot of our team is from the Toronto area and there should be a real sense of pride.”

The Rock, meanwhile, are back home after a split last weekend that included a very impressive win over Calgary. Toronto is 3-1 in its last four games and coach Jamie Batley is pleased with with he’s seen the last few weekends. Of course, there’s a bit of urgency and winning out would give the Rock an 8-8 record, a mark Batley feels should get the team into the playoffs. “We’re not looking for help from anybody,” Batley said. “We feel that if we win all three games, that should be good enough to get in.”

Facing Anthony Cosmo in goal is the challenge the Rock offense faces. “He’s a great angle goalie and a great blocker,” said Batley. “We have to get him to move because he covers a lot of spots.”

Rochester (5-6) at Colorado (6-6), Friday at 9 p.m. (EST)

The Knighthawks are on the road where they’ve yet to win this season, and what a road trip it is. Gary Gait will not make the trip because of his coaching duties for the Syracuse University women, and playing in Colorado is a challenge the Knighthawks are well aware of. “We’re coming to an arena that’s tough to play in,” said GM Regy Thorpe. “But we’ve got a great mind-set and it all starts with our captain, Shawn Williams, who’s been sending out emails to the guys.” The Knighthawks are trying the road-bonding thing, arriving in Colorado on Thursday and they’re going to be playing a team that’s walked in its shoes as far as a rotating lineup goes.

“Rochester’s similar to us because they’ve played a lot of players,” said Mammoth coach Bob McMahon. “But for all their woes, they can’t be overlooked.” The Mammoth, of course, are working to overcome injuries to studs like Jim Moss, Dan Carey, Bruce Murray and Gee Nash, but they’re getting solid production from newcomers and rookies to stay alive for the No. 2 playoff spot in the West. “That’s why we sign 23 players,” said McMahon.

Help may be coming in the form of Josh Sims, who was recently pulled from retirement to sign with the Mammoth.

Portland (6-5) at Edmonton (4-8), Friday at 9 p.m. (EST)

Both squads are coming off of split weekends, but the urgency is more visible in Edmonton, where the squad is fighting from the West basement for its playoff life. LumberJax assistant coach Dallas Eliuk has noticed. “The last two games, they’ve put in some solid performances,” he said. And even though the Jax are 2-2 in their last four games, the confidence remains. “In three of our last four games, we took some undisciplined penalties and we paid for it,” he said. “We’re real positive about the home stretch.”

Bob Hamley says he’ll go with Chris Levis in goal and says the key will be the guys in front him keeping their fire at a high pitch. “We’ve gotta be ready,” he said. “If we take a shift or two off, it makes for a long night.”

Minnesota (5-7) at San Jose (5-8), Friday at 10 p.m. (EST)

It’s another battle for playoff positioning, and life. So while the playoffs don’t technically start for another few weeks, the Swarm and the Stealth can’t afford to think like that. It starts Friday night. “Both teams have a sense of urgency,” said Swarm coach Duane Jacobs. Playoff style lacrosse? “I would think so,” said Stealth coach Chris Hall. “We’re approaching it as if it were. This is a business and they’re professional athletes. We don’t have to remind them too much that it’s do or die. If the players can’t realize that, then we probably have the wrong players.”

The Stealth are coming off a weekend split with the Portland LumberJax and Minnesota’s trying to recover from a loss to Philadelphia. Jacobs says his team’s hurdle is more mental than it is physical. “The Xs and Os will always be there,” he said. “We’ve sorta been up and down all season and we’ve tried to read them the riot act and tried to find the right approach, but it’s now at a point where you’ve got to go out and perform or you’re not going to the playoffs. If that’s not motivation enough, then there’s obviously a problem.”

Of note for San Jose is rookie Rhys Duch, who is on pace to break the league’s rookie scoring record. He’s currently at 70 points with three games left as he chases Gavin Prout’s rookie record of 82 points, set in 2002. Duch is this week’s Rookie of the Week.

Philadelphia (5-7) at New York (7-5), Friday at 7:30 p.m. (EST)
New York at Philadelphia, Sunday at 2:30 p.m. (EST)

Just 1.5 games separates these teams in the East Division, with New York on top, and you can be sure of the intensity here. Philly’s won just 1-2 in its last three, but is rolling with a full lineup with NLL Player of the Week Athan Iannucci and Geoff Snider back in the lineup. The Titans are 2-1 in the last three and that includes last week’s impressive road win in Buffalo. Of course, the return of Casey Powell to the lineup has a lot to do with that. New York won the Feb. 8 matchup between these clubs, 15-12, but the Wings didn’t have Nooch.

Wings coach Dave Huntley says the injuries to AI and Snider allowed players like Drew Westervelt the chance to step up and prove their worth. “But when they’re back, hopefully it makes you a better team and I think it did that on Saturday.”

The win in Buffalo was nothing short of a confidence boost for the Titans, and they expect no different in Philly. Both have huge, loud barns. “Last week is last week,” said coach Ed Comeau. “It has no bearing on this week and we’ve got our hands full.” Comeau added that Powell appears to back at full strength. “He’s real excited to get back at it after a long layoff that he didn’t want.”

Buffalo (8-4) at Boston, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (EST)

It’s the first meeting of these teams this season, and it could be mucho importante. A Friday night win for Boston puts the Blazers just half a game behind Buffalo in the East standings and although the Bandits have definitely flashed their dominance in some games, they’ve also displayed some vulnerabilities. Boston’s been getting it done this season with exactly the kind of balanced game that New York played last week in handing the Bandits a loss. The stellar play of Matt Vinc, the NLL Defensive Player of the Week, in the New York goal stymied the Buffalo shooters, an act that could very well repeat itself with Cosmo in the Boston goal.

“Vinc was on fire,” said Bandits coach Darris Kilgour. “We had plenty of opportunities to put the game away. We had a power play that we got nothing out of in the fourth quarter … I think we played well, we just didn’t the result we wanted.”

Look for Ken Montour to be back in net for Buffalo after missing last week’s game with a 103-degree fever.

Edmonton at Minnesota, Saturday at 8 p.m. (EST)

Yet another game with big playoff implications, and the Rush are hoping Andy Secore’s five-goal game in the win over Toronto, that earned him Offensive Player of the Week honors, is a sign that he’s finding his groove. “We always knew he was going to break out at some point,” said Hamley. “He’s coming around quite nicely.” It’s part of the effort and production that has the coach pleased and encouraged. “It’s what I thought we could be all year long.”

For the Swarm, Jacobs sees a tremendously improved Rush squad. “They play hard and are very difficult,” he said. “They’re big and strong on the defensive end and they have a scoring touch. When they put it all together, they’re a dangerous team.”

Rochester at Calgary (9-3), Saturday at 9 p.m. (EST)

The Roughnecks clinched last week, but are a bit burned by splitting last weekend. Next goal? Clinch the top overall playoff seed. “We’d love to have the Cup come through Calgary,” said assistant Dave Pym.

As for the Knighthawks, they’ll be looking for another lefty to stand up in the absence of Gait. But against the Rougies, the Knighthawks defense is gonna have to be solid and that’s what Regy Thorpe has been touting all season as the reason for the team’s rebound from an 0-4 start. Of late, Mac Allen has been key. Allen missed some early games with nagging injuries, but he’s given the squad a real boost in the back end, and on faceoffs. Still, Thorpe said it’s all part of a team turnaround on that end, giving goalie Pat O’Toole the help any goalie needs to win games.

Of note for Rochester, forward Shawn Williams stands with 799 career points and is sure to clear the 800-point plateau at some point in the weekend.

Colorado at Portland, Saturday at 10 p.m. (EST)

By this point of the weekend, the standings could look a lot different than they did at the beginning of the weekend. “It’s easy to go from 2nd place to 4th or 5th,” said McMahon. “We go into these games with a must-win attitude.”

These clubs haven’t seen each other since opening weekend, when they split a home-and-home series. “We were fortunate to get that first win in their building,” said McMahon of the 12-10 win in Portland on Jan. 9. “But then they came back the next night and basically destroyed us (14-5 win for Portland on Jan. 10).” One of the keys for Portland’s development has been the offensive work between Derek Malawsky and Ryan Powell. “They realize that the ball needs to remain hot and they work so well off the ball, too,” said Eliuk. That’s also brought along the emergence of Peter Morgan, who leads the Jax in goals scored. “We’ve got a handful of offensive weapons and it’s more difficult to prepare against,” Eliuk said. Having the NLL Transition Player of the Week in Brodie Merrill helps, too.

McMahon said his team’s loss on Jan. 10 to Portland may have been a blessing in disguise. “We made changes to our offense and the way try to generate goals.”

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