March to May pushes onward, and power rankings will start meaning less and less in the face of the actual playoff picture. If you want to have some fun with the playoff picture, NLL Stats has a great simulator to try and figure out the ways in which some teams can make the postseason.
With a few weeks to go, we’ll keep going through the power rankings.
15 Las Vegas Desert Dogs (4-9)
Vegas fell to Vancouver this week, dropping them into a three way tie for last place. The boys in the dessert have lost three straight. With five games remaining against a difficult schedule, the playoffs look like a long shot. Vegas visits San Diego this week.
14 Colorado Mammoth (4-9)
Idle this week and now in a three way tie for last place by record. They host a hot Rochester team this week.
13 Vancouver Warriors (4-9)
The Warriors beat Vegas this week so take the spot above them in the rankings. They’ve won two of their last three, including a win over the Bandits. With five games to go it’s going to take a miracle to make the playoffs, but Vancouver still can play spoiler for some teams and the standings. They travel to Philly this weekend.
12 New York Riptide (6-8)
New York lost to Saskatchewan in a shootout this week, adnt he Riptide have now lost four of their last five. At 6-8 with four games to go, the playoffs are looking more and more out of reach. A big game against the Rush, the second half of a home and home, awaits in New York this weekend.
11 Saskatchewan Rush (5-6)
The Rush beat New York this week, so they come in one spot ahead of the Riptide. They’ve won two of their last three, but the stretch of schedule coming is brutal. This weekend they play a double header, they have a make up date with Philly coming, and then a double header in the first weekend in April. If the Rush can stay hot, and healthy, through that grueling stretch, the playoffs are possible. It starts in New York on Saturday.
10 Calgary Roughnecks (5-8)
After a winning streak dug them out of a big hole, the Roughnecks have lost three in a row and slid back down again. There are five games to go against a fairly difficult schedule that includes dates with Albany, Buffalo, and Panther City. This weekend, they host the Firewolves.
9 Philadelphia Wings (5-7)
Philly sits at 5-7, and beat the Swarm this week with another great performance from Zach Higgins in net, holding Georgia to eight goals. Philly has alternated win and loss each of the last five weeks, they’ll need to be consistent to climb into the playoff picture. This weekend they host Vancouver. If they win it will be Philly’s first two game winning streak of the year.
8 Panther City Lacrosse Club (6-7)
Panther City lost to Halifax this week. They got blitzed early and tried to battle back, but the deficit was just too big to close. PCLC has lost three of their last four, and have five games remaining. They are in the last playoff spot in the standings right now, plenty of teams look worthy of it.
7 Georgia Swarm (8-7)
The Swarm lost to Philly this week. They’ve been living on the edge for a bit; their previous four games were all decided by one goal, two of them in OT. They’ve struggled to protect leads and play well from in front. They’ve got three games left to do that consistently. The last three games are all very winnable, and are all at home, so the Swarm have a very good shot at the postseason.
6 Rochester Knighthawks (6-6)
Rochester started 3-0. They then lost six straight. They’ve now won three straight, right back to .500. That kind of season can’t be good for the blood pressure. Back to back wins against Albany should have Hawks fans feeling better about this team with five games to go. They travel to Colorado this week, a win to get them over .500 would be huge.
5 Buffalo Bandits (7-6)
Buffalo is floating right around .500. For a defending champ that’s a bit surprising. Some recent moves have changed their fortune, as Paul Dawson beefs up their defense and Connor Farrell should help them on faceoffs. The crowd was 18,000+ strong this week to see them beat Toronto. Buffalo putting it together at the right time is dangerous. They have five games left, four of which are on the road, starting with Panther City this weekend.
4 Albany Firewolves (10-4)
Albany lost to Rochetser for the 2nd time in as many weekends, but still hold the 2nd best record in the league. They have four games remaining, and three are on the road. At this point Albany is playing for seeding, if they want to host a playoff game they’ll need to be road warriors. They start at Calgary this weekend.
3 Halifax Thunderbirds (8-6)
Halifax snapped a two game skid with a win over Panther City this week. The score was a four goal margin, but for long stretches in the game, Halifax looked totally dominant. If they’re healthy down the stretch they have the pieces for a deep run. The Birds head to Toronto this week for a major opportunity to improve their playoff positioning.
2 Toronto Rock (11-3)
Toronto battled but fell to Buffalo in a packed Banditland this weekend. At 11-3 they have the best record in the league, and are the odds on favorite to be the top seed. The remaining schedule, however, is no cakewalk. They are hosting Halifax this weekend. Two of the other three opponents are at .500 or better.
1 San Diego Seals (10-4)
San Diego won a low scoring battle with Calgary this week on the road to get to 10-4. With four games remaining, the Seals could still make a run at the top spot. Their last four opponents current have a combined record of 19-31. They play three of those games at home. Win out, and the top seed could be on the table.
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