Bandits vs Mammoth: How to Watch, Lineup Notes, and Storylines
NLL Buffalo Bandits

Bandits vs Mammoth: How to Watch, Lineup Notes, and Storylines

Published on March 12, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Buffalo Bandits News Release


The Bandits return to KeyBank Center for Friday Night Lights against Colorado.

The morning after Josh Byrne's game-winning goal in overtime to beat the Saskatchewan Rush 11-10, head coach John Tavares noticed a more confident group during the Buffalo Bandits' film session ahead of their game against the Toronto Rock.

The Bandits beat the Rock that night to improve to 6-6. One week later, Tavares said he's looking for his group to continue their winning ways against the Colorado Mammoth on Friday at KeyBank Center. Faceoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

"The game at home against Saskatchewan, they're the top team in the league, they're rolling through everybody." Tavares said. "That was a really big win for us. ... Hopefully we can still maintain that chemistry and that confidence going against a team that embarrassed us last time we played in Colorado."

The Mammoth - who are tied for second in the NLL at 9-4 - jumped out to a 6-0 lead in that previous matchup in Buffalo on Jan. 31. They went on to win 20-9, the most goals allowed in a game by the Bandits since 2017.

Tavares said the Bandits will "have an extra fire in the belly" to rectify the result in Colorado and noted that improving their standing on the playoff bubble hinges on their ability to beat top teams like the Mammoth.

"Their first shift they scored and I don't know why, but for whatever reason with that goal, I just felt heads on the bench go down, and it was just an uphill battle from there," Tavares said. "It seemed like when they didn't score, they got rebounds and got repossessions and they had the ball a lot. When we got the ball, we tried to rush because we didn't have it very often.

"It just felt like we were under the gun right from the get-go which is very uncharacteristic of a lacrosse game where you feel pressured in the opening 10 minutes of the game. It's a game of runs and we seemed to be impatient, and they seemed to just continue to gain confidence, and everything that they did worked, and everything we did didn't work."

One of the aspects of the Bandits' game that did work in their first matchup was the power play, which went 4-for-5 with two tallies from Dhane Smith.

Tavares said the 11-goal loss served as both a game to forget and a wake-up call. In the rematch, his group will look to play with a sense of urgency right from the opening faceoff, be it through a strong offensive possession or a defensive stand that fuels transition.

"I think those first couple shifts would just give us confidence against Colorado, after the game that we played in Colorado." he said. "We just need to just see that, 'Hey, we can play with these guys. We're just as good as them.'"

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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 12, 2026


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