National Lacrosse League: Ten Things to Know for Week 19

April 4, 2024 - National Lacrosse League (NLL) News Release

PHILADELPHIA - And then there were three--weeks, that is. The National Lacrosse League (@NLL), the largest and most successful professional lacrosse property in the world, stuffs nine games into three days as "The March to May" works its way into the home stretch with three weekends remaining in the regular season.

ESPNU snags a rematch of last year's finals between Buffalo and Colorado (Friday, 9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. MT), the NLL Game of the Week on TSN features Friday's key battle between the Saskatchewan Rush and Calgary Roughnecks (9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. MT), and the NLL Saturday Showcase is a good one between the Toronto Rock (12-3), currently at the top of the unified standings, and Albany FireWolves (10-5), sitting in third (7 p.m. ET, also My4 Albany).

Here are 10 things to know about the NLL entering Week 19:

Up for Grabs: Fourteen of the 15 teams are still mathematically alive for playoff berths, and eight are within one game of the fourth seed and home game in the Quarterfinals. The NLL released details this week on playoff scheduling, opening April 24-28.

In the Clinch: Which teams are in line to secure NLL postseason berths this week? Here are a few scenarios:

Toronto Rock (12-3) have clinched a playoff berth and a home playoff game, and can clinch the top overall seed throughout the playoffs with a Win at Albany on Saturday, AND a San Diego loss vs. Panther City on Friday

San Diego Seals (11-4) have clinched a playoff berth and can clinch a home playoff game with:

Win vs. Panther City on Friday, OR

Buffalo loss at Colorado on Friday, OR

A Georgia loss vs. Las Vegas on Saturday AND a Panther City loss vs. Philadelphia on Sunday.

Albany FireWolves (10-5) have clinched a playoff berth and can clinch a home playoff game with a win vs. Toronto on Saturday

Georgia Swarm (9-7) can clinch a playoff berth with a Win vs. Las Vegas on Saturday

Halifax Thunderbirds (9-7) can clinch a playoff berth with a Win at Vancouver on Friday.

Having a Bal: The Vancouver Warriors' recent resurgence (four wins in the last five games) has many heroes, none bigger than Keegan Bal (Coquitlam, B.C.), who has scored 22 goals and dished out 20 assists during that span. Bal currently ranks ninth in the NLL in goals (37) and 10th in points (84) on the season.

Dhane Mhetrics: The MVP race, along with other major NLL awards, will be debated in the season's closing weeks, but NLL.com's Cooper Perkins makes a case for Buffalo's Dhane Smith (Kitchener, Ont.) to cop the honor. Know your wA, pRating, fScore and PTR and you'll know why Cooper thinks Dhane is deserving.

Teat Time: The MVP talk always includes New York Riptide sensation Jeff Teat (Brampton, Ont.), and with 47 goals he continues to lead the league in that category, ranking third in points (108). But close behind are Buffalo's Josh Byrne (New Westminster, B.C.) with 45 (and a league-best 112 points) and both San Diego's Austin Staats (OLA Six Nation) and Rochester's Connor Fields (East Amherst, N.Y.) with 43. Dhane Smith, as detailed above, is the runaway leader in assists with 84.

Feel the Power: Only four games last week means not much movement at the top of the NLL Power Rankings by NLL.com's Adam Levi heading into Week 19. Toronto, San Diego, Halifax and Georgia maintained the first through fourth slots, respectively, with Buffalo (now fifth) and Albany (sixth) crossing paths along the Erie Canal.

Three for Two: With the nine-game slate this weekend, three teams will play twice: Saskatchewan, Calgary and Panther City. Each has one home and one away game scheduled. The only team to play multiple games over the final two weeks will be Rochester, which will visit Georgia on Friday, April 19 and host Philadelphia on Sunday, April 21 in the final game of the Regular Season.

Go Promos: Some of the promotions at NLL arenas this weekend include:

San Diego: Friday is Stick Up For A Cure Night, presented by Rady Children's Hospital, at Pechanga Arena (Panther City, 7 p.m. PT). It's the team's annual Cancer Awareness Night contest. As part of the team's partnership with Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, players will wear custom jerseys featuring the names of individuals who have been impacted by cancer. Proceeds from Stick Up For A Cure will benefit the Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Rady Children's.

Vancouver: Back in the Saddle Again, Warriors to Host Country Night 2.0 on Friday, Presented by Ford. Pull out your jeans, boots, and cowboy hats once more. (vs. Halifax, 7 p.m. PT)

Colorado: The Mammoth will look to make more than a Ripple when they host Buffalo in the 2023 NLL Finals Rematch on Friday (7 p.m. MT). It's "Grateful Dead" Night, and the Eyes of the World will be upon them.

Calgary: Aloha! It's the Roughnecks Tiki Party on Friday (7 p.m. MT vs. Saskatchewan), complete with Hawaiian lei giveaway and specialty theme jersey. Book 'em, Danno (Taylor)!

Albany: If The Grateful Dead and "Hawaii Five-O" references aren't retro enough, the FireWolves have fans covered, turning back the clock to favorite music, movies, fashion and more from the 70's, 80's, 90's and early-2000's on "Retro Night" (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET vs. Toronto).

Rochester: The first 2,000 fans will receive a Knighthawks bucket hat, thanks to Segar & Sciortino and their annual hat giveaway knight vs. New York (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET).

Georgia: The Swarm LOVE their fans, and they prove it on Fan Appreciation Night (7:30 p.m. ET vs. Las Vegas).

Saskatchewan: The Cowboy theme is big, particularly in "The Battle of the Prairies," so Boots & Dukes Night on Saturday vs. Calgary (7 p.m. MT) is always a hit.

Panther City: NLL teams respect the origins of the game, and the league's newest franchise is no exception. PCLC hosts Philadelphia on Sunday (3 p.m. CT), and they'll be celebrating "Origins of Lacrosse" Day.

NLL Players reaching milestones last week included:

Buffalo coach John Tavares passed Jamie Batley for 15th on the all-time list with 57 after the Bandits defeated Philadelphia

Halifax forward Ryan Benesch (Elmira, Ont.) passed Dan Dawson for fourth on the all-time list with 552 goals after netting two vs Rochester; and passed Shawn Evans for sixth on the all-time games played list with 271

Halifax forward Dawson Theede (Brooklin, Ont.) now has 101 points after a three-goal, three-assist effort vs. Rochester

Philadelphia forward Mitch Jones (Delta, B.C.) now has 608 points after back-to-back two-goal, five-assist nights against Saskatchewan and Buffalo

Saskatchewan forward Robert Church (Coquitlam, B.C.) now has 802 points after securing three goals and five assists vs. Philadelphia

Vancouver forward Kevin Crowley (New Westminster, B.C.) now has 500 assists after issuing four vs. Las Vegas

Player achievements within reach this week are:

Albany forward Ethan Walker (Peterborough, Ont.) needs four assists to reach 100

Buffalo forward Josh Byrne (New Westminster, B.C.) needs seven goals to reach 200

Buffalo defenseman Paul Dawson (Oakville, Ont.) needs four points to reach 100

Buffalo forward Chase Fraser (Vancouver) needs one point to reach 200

Calgary forward Tanner Cook (Courtice, Ont.) needs nine assists to reach 100

Calgary forward Jesse King (Victoria, B.C.) eeds nine assists to reach 300

Calgary forward Tyler Pace (Coquitlam, B.C.) needs six points to reach 300

Colorado defenseman Paul Dawson (Oakville, Ont.) needs four points to reach 100

Colorado forward Tyson Gibson (Maple, Ont.) needs three assists to reach 100

Colorado forward Connor Robinson (New Westminster, B.C.) needs one goal to reach 100

Georgia forward Brendan Bomberry (Six Nations, Ont.) needs five points to reach 200

Georgia defenseman/transition player Jeremy Thompson (Akwesasne, Ont.) needs four assists to reach 100

Georgia forward Lyle Thompson (Onondaga Nation, N.Y.) needs seven assists to reach 400

Halifax forward Ryan Benesch (Elmira, Ont.) needs nine points to become the seventh player all-time to reach 1300

Halifax forward Austin Shanks (Courtice, Ont.) needs eight assists to reach 200

Las Vegas forward Rob Hellyer (Lions Head, Ont.) needs seven assists to reach 500

New York forward Connor Kearnan (Courtice, Ont.) needs one goal to reach 100

New York forward Kiel Matisz (Stony Creek, Ont.) needs three goals to reach 200

New York forward Reilly O'Connor (Whitby, Ont.) needs four assists to reach 300

Panther City forward Callum Crawford (Ottawa, Ont.) needs one assist to pass John Grant Jr. for sixth on the all-time list with 779

Panther City forward Will Malcom (New Westminster, B.C.) needs three goals to reach 100

San Diego defenseman/transition player Trevor Baptiste (Denville, N.J.) needs 13 faceoff wins to become the 10th player in league history to reach 1500

San Diego forward Curtis Dickson (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) needs two goals to pass Colin Doyle for seventh all-time with 528; and one point to become the 16th player to reach 1000

San Diego forward Dane Dobbie (Elora, Ont.) needs seven assists to reach 600

San Diego defenseman/transition player Jesse Gamble (Rockwood, Ont.) needs three points to reach 100

San Diego forward Kyle Jackson (Sarnia, Ont.) needs two points to reach 300

Saskatchewan forward Zach Manns (Victoria, B.C.) needs five assists to reach 100

Toronto goaltender Nick Rose (Orangeville, Ont.) needs 28 saves to pass Pat O'Toole for fourth on the all-time list with 6465

Toronto forward Corey Small (St. Catharines, Ont.) needs four assists to reach 500

Schedule - Week 19 (All Times Eastern)

Friday

Buffalo Bandits (8-7) at Colorado Mammoth (5-9), 9 p.m., ESPNU, TSN+ (Lindahl, Shewchuk, Gallant)

Saskatchewan Rush (6-8) at Calgary Roughnecks (6-8), 9 p.m., NLL Game of the Week on TSN, ESPN+ (T. Jenner, Challoner, Chand)

Halifax Thunderbirds (9-7) at Vancouver Warriors (6-9), 10 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+ (Elliott, Fera, Pratap)

Panther City Lacrosse Club (7-7) at San Diego Seals (11-4), 10 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+, KUSI (Perkins, Ossello, Michaels)

Saturday

Toronto Rock (12-3) at Albany FireWolves (10-5), 7 p.m., NLL Saturday Showcase, ESPN+, TSN+, My4 (Glasheen, Bahl, Onorato)

New York Riptide (7-8) at Rochester Knighthawks (6-8), 7 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+ (Rybczynski, McDaniels, Mossbrooks)

Las Vegas Desert Dogs (4-11) at Georgia Swarm (9-7), 7:30 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+, Silver Sports SEN, Peachtree Sports (Mooneyham, Hanover, Hoffman)

Calgary Roughnecks (6-8*) at Saskatchewan Rush (6-8*), 9 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+ (Janzen, Fraser, Ahmad)

Sunday

Philadelphia Wings (5-10) at Panther City Lacrosse Club (7-7*), 4 p.m., ESPN+, TSN+, Philly57, Bally Sports SW Extra (Thulin, Jernigan, Hale)

*pending Friday results

Jeff Teat of the New York Riptide (John Harrison)

• Discuss this story on the National Lacrosse League message board...

National Lacrosse League Stories from April 4, 2024

• Rolling Warriors Meet Tough Thunderbirds Squad at Rogers Arena - Vancouver Warriors
• Albany FireWolves Student-Athletes of the Week (Week of April 1): Presented by Dave & Buster's - Albany - Albany FireWolves
• Game Preview - Halifax at Vancouver - Halifax Thunderbirds
• Game Preview: New York Riptide vs Rochester Knighthawks - New York Riptide
• National Lacrosse League: Ten Things to Know for Week 19 - NLL
• Colorado Continues Playoff Push During NLL Finals Rematch vs. Buffalo - Colorado Mammoth

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.