NLL Insider

So here we are, heading into Week 15 of our beloved National Lacrosse League and what’s up? Well, Calgary, Buffalo, Boston and New York have clinched playoff spots. That leaves eight teams battling for the other four, including three East teams for one spot, which makes for one kick-arse stretch run. If your belt isn’t buckled by now, make sure it is for this weekend ’cause there’s gonna be some serious ball rockin’ the barns across North America.

Rochester (6-7) at Buffalo (9-4), Friday at 7:30 p.m. (EST)

It’s tough to think of the Knighthawks in hot pursuit of a playoff berth after their 0-4 start to the season, but here they are. Of course, part of that 0-4 start was the 23-6 loss in Buffalo on Jan. 16, but as Buffalo coach Darris Kilgour points out, this is a different Rochester team coming to town. “We knew they’d improve and we knew they’d get better,” he said, adding that by no means is his team set to rest with a playoff berth already clinched. “It seems every week in the East it’s a big game. If we go on a bad stretch here, we could finish 9-7. We want to go into the playoffs playing the best lacrosse we can.”

In that Jan. 16 game, the Knighthawks didn’t have Pat O’Toole in goal, but they will on Friday. “He’s been the key to the defense,” said coach Paul Gait. “But our offense has gelled more as a group, too. We don’t have a lot of superstars or a real key go-to guy but so far, the offense has been working for us and a key to that is that the defense has been holding other teams to fewer goals.” Having the offensive guys buy into the Gait system has been a huge lift for Rochester, which has sported a very fluid look out the front door the last month or so, and the team’s win as impressive as the win at Colorado was, the first-half performance at Calgary, where Rochester led 7-1 before running out of steam, opened many eyes around the league.

Playoff update: The Bandits can clinch the East Division title by beating New York on Saturday. They can also clinch 2nd place in the East (for a home playoff game) with at least one victory this weekend. The Knighthawks can clinch a playoff berth by winning both games (at Buffalo Friday, at Boston on Saturday), along with a Philadelphia loss to Toronto.

Portland (7-6) at Calgary (10-3), Friday at 9:30 (EST)

The LumberJax sit in second place out West, but it’s not a very comfortable sitting. Colorado and San Jose are breathing down the necks of the Jax, and coach Derek Keenan still doesn’t know if he’ll have keeper Matt Disher in net this weekend. Keenan says a decision will be made Friday, but Disher is expected to travel with the team. As precarious as the position is for Portland, it could have been worse. The loss to Edmonton stings, but Keenan says his team was fortunate to get the OT win over Colorado. And as impressive as Cory Conway’s play was near the end of regulation to knock a shot out of the air with his stick in the final seconds, it was a play that didn’t need to happen in the first place. “He was actually making up for an error,” said Keenan. “He went too early on the play before, but he made a great effort to make up for that mistake.”

Still, Calgary knows it has its challenge in Portland. Assistant coach Dave Pym says Portland’s balance on offense is boosted by impressive offensive numbers coming out of the back end, along with its impressive size on defense. “They battle real hard for loose balls too,” Pym said. “It’ll be a good game. We always seem to play each other well.”

Playoff update: Portland can clinch a playoff berth with at least one victory this weekend. If the Jax beat Minnesota on Saturday, they’ll clinch 2nd place and a home playoff game. The Roughnecks can clinch the West Division title with one victory OR a Portland loss.

Toronto (5-9) at Philadelphia (6-8), Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Toronto’s loss to Boston last weekend puts the Rock in a position of needing help to make the playoffs. Coach Jamie Batley doesn’t like it, but he expects it to provide tremendous motivation. The help Toronto needs is a Buffalo win on Friday because if Rochester wins, that’ll officially knock Toronto out because even if Rochester and Toronto finish the season with 7-9 records, Rochester owns the tiebreaker. “We’re still in it so we have to put on a good performance,” Batley said. “And if we find out we’re out of it, then guys will be fighting for jobs for next year.”

Philadelphia and coach Dave Huntley aren’t about to take the Rock lightly because not only are the Wings still fighting for their own playoff life, they’ve still got to solve goalie Bob Watson. “They’re also much more athletic in the transition than they have been and whoever comes out of the front door for them, they still have some excellent sticks on the floor.” The Wings are 2-1 in their last three and a lot of that has to do with the continuity on offense, no doubt aided by the return of Athan Iannucci. It goes beyond that, too, says Huntley, as guys like Jon Harasym, Kyle Wailes, Rob Van Beek and Merrick Thomson have been steady contributors. Thomson’s been shooting well, Wailes brings a complete game and Harasym “keeps the ball alive and does the things people don’t notice.” It’s balance that’s starting to pay dividends for the Wings and will challenge the Rock when their backs are against the proverbial wall.

“Our defense has been great at times and it’s been downright terrible, too,” said Batley of the key for this matchup. “If we don’t play great defense, we’re going to find ourselves in trouble.”

Playoff update: Philly needs to win out to clinch a playoff berth.

Buffalo at New York (8-6), Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (EST)

The Titans have won three of their last four and that includes an 11-9 win at Buffalo on March 28. Revenge won’t be on the mind of Buffalo as much as the focus on the jockeying for playoff positioning. It’s the first back-to-back weekend of the season for Buffalo, but Kilgour’s confident with his team’s depth. With Ken Montour in goal, it’s easy to be confident but Kilgour says the struggles lately of Mike Thompson won’t keep him out of the cage for at least one game this weekend. Whether that’s against Rochester or New York remains to be seen, the coach says.

Of bigger concern for Buffalo in this game is containing Casey Powell. It was CP who saved the weekend for the Titans in last weekend’s home-and-home series with Philadelphia. New York lost at home to the Wings on Saturday, and Sunday’s game didn’t get off to a great start. But it was CP who sparked a huge second half for the Titans, who went on an 8-3 run in the third quarter to erase an 8-4 halftime deficit. And of all things, it was a loose ball that Powell won. “The guys saw his drive and desire,” said assistant coach Jimmy Butler. “He took us on his shoulders in the second half against Philly.”

Playoff update: The Titans are already in, but can clinch 2nd place in the East for a home playoff game with a win over Buffalo on Saturday AND a Boston loss.

Rochester at Boston (8-6), Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (EST)

The Blazers appear to have cooled off at one of the worst times, losing three of their last four. And to get back on track, they welcome a Rochester club that’s playing with renewed enthusiasm. Still, Boston has clinched a playoff spot but they’ll be looking to turn their game around to go into the playoffs with the kind of confidence they had earlier in the season in a five-game winning streak. “The playoffs were our goal,” coach Tom Ryan said. “But I feel like we still have a long way to go.”

Rochester plans to have Gary Gait available for both games, and he’ll bring a leadership that coach Paul Gait says is missed while he’s out of the lineup. “New” coach John Grant Jr. on the bench also is helping. “He’s been able to express his ideas to the players,” said Paul, before joking that “it’s fun. I don’t know what language they speak in Peterborough, but it’s entertaining.” The Knighthawks will need more than entertainment this weekend, however. “It’s all about execution and energy,” Paul said. “We’ll have to be all over the loose balls if we’re gonna have a chance.”

Portland at Minnesota (6-8), Saturday at 8 p.m. (EST)

An 18-8 loss to San Jose wasn’t quite the start to the weekend Minnesota wanted, but the Swarm redeemed itself with a 9-7 win against Edmonton. Not only did it redeem the loss, it kept the Swarm alive in the playoff hunt out West. Now Minnesota’s got to win its final two games, but coach Duane Jacobs says at least those games are at home, even if the Swarm are 2-4 there. “Our biggest concern is Portland’s defense,” he said. “It’s big, and they’ve had stellar goaltending all year.” The Swarm opened its season with an 11-7 win over the Jax on Jan. 3, but it’s a different team today with Aaron Wilson on the roster. “We’re a bit stronger inside now, but it’s going to be just as hard to penetrate that defense,” Jacobs said. “Not much is going to change from our standpoint. We might be able to better inside, but we still have to balance the attack.”

Keenan is well aware of the different look Minnesota can bring. “It’s the inside presence of Aaron Wilson compared to the outside presence of Craig Point,” said Keenan, referring to the trade that shipped Point to Rochester for Wilson. “(Sean) Pollock helps with their inside game, but Wilson is just another challenge for us there. Wilson is probably the best player in the league without the ball.”

Playoff update: The Swarm needs to win out to clinch a playoff berth.

San Jose (6-8) at Colorado (6-8), Saturday at 9 p.m. (EST)

The Stealth got themselves back on track with the 18-8 win over Minnesota thanks in large part to a 13-point night from Colin Doyle. Does that surprise anyone? “He’s the one where if we need an important goal, he’ll go out and score it himself or set it up,” said coach Chris Hall. “He strives to make the team better and he leads by example.” The overall performance has Hall encouraged, especially when goalie Tyler Richards makes his first career start, and wins. “We seem to be firing on all cylinders,” Hall said. Earlier this season, “our back end was struggling. We implemented some changes on defense and it seems to be helping us.” No doubt the addition of Shaydon Santos, Andrew Biers and Steve Holmes is helping, and the Stealth will need all of that and maybe more if the right Colorado team shows up.

The Mammoth have lost three straight and the injury bug certainly has been an issue. “We don’t even talk about that because we don’t want that to be an excuse,” said coach Bob McMahon. “I don’t fault our work ethic. It’s there. We’re just waiting for a break.” Still, McMahon repeated what he said last week in that there’s a reason the team signs 23 players. “Some nights, though, it’s just not good enough.” McMahon will need everyone to show up for this game if the playoff hopes are to gain any traction because San Jose, he says, “seems to be peaking at the right time of the year.”

Playoff update: The Stealth can clinch a playoff berth by beating Colorado. The Mammoth can clinch a spot by beating San Jose, but they also need an Edmonton loss to Calgary on Saturday.

Calgary at Edmonton (5-9), Saturday at 9:30 p.m. (EST)

Despite just five wins this season, two of the Rush’s wins have come in the last three weeks and the one loss was by just two goals last weekend against Minnesota. “We’re disappointed we didn’t get two wins last week, but you can’t fault the effort,” coach Bob Hamley said. “The last three weeks is what we envisioned for the whole season. We finally have a lineup we’re comfortable with.” The last meeting between these teams was not pretty for Edmonton. Calgary’s 22-10 win, in Edmonton, was a true Friday the 13th horror show, and the Rush are trying to block it from the memory as much as they are trying to use it for motivation. “Pride’s a big factor as an athlete,” Hamley said.

Calgary assistant Dave Pym isn’t expecting the same result this time around. Especially after the wakeup call delivered by Rochester last week. “We ran into one of the hottest goalies in the league in Pat O’Toole,” he said. “We created opportunities and we had a couple of breakdowns on the back end. But we rallied in the second half (for a 12-9 win after trailing 7-1) and kept our foot on the gas and it turned out in our favor.”

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