Ottawa on a new trajectory, the NLL is anti-woke, and it's Georgia's title to lose. NLL Week 9 overreactions.

Ottawa is doing things slightly differently this year

Even back to the Riptide days, this Black Bears team had a pretty standard MO from year to year. Jeff Teat produces like one of the best players in the world, and then they miss the playoffs. In fact, this franchise has yet to make the playoffs. Last year they got close, and were in the mix for a playoff spot in the final week of the regular season. In 2026, Jeff Teat is once again playing like one of the best players in the world. Maybe even the best. His 57 points lead the NLL, and he’s eight points clear of Alex Simmons in second. He’s averaging just over seven points per contest, and leads the league in both goals and assists, showing he’s scoring every which way. Only three players average more points per game than Teat. So what’s different this year? This is the year Ottawa makes the postseason. They currently are 4-4, which may not inspire confidence. But they are the only team to beat Saskatchewan this year, and they did it by blitzing them with a 6-0 fourth quarter. They beat Buffalo in OT in Banditland. That Saskatchewan method has been true for them most of the year. They’ve scored 37 fourth quarter goals this year. Their first and third quarter goals combined add up to 33. Ottawa may be a little slow out of the gate but they pick up steam as games go on, and I think that will apply to their season results.

NLL is anti-woke?

I don’t mean to get political, but this is an important conversation and I’m glad we’re having it. Once again this weekend, I had to listen to the referees say a player had committed a foul for “acting like a goaltender”. I’m in favor of letting people be people. Who am I to say a player can’t be a goalie if that’s what he wants to be? Identifying as a goaltender isn’t some kind of dodge or con, it’s a deeply personal and ultimately biological decision. If a player feels his best standing in the crease trying to get hit by a ball, and that’s what makes him happiest, I support his right to do that. The NLL seems to think otherwise. Oh, this player is in the crease, just trying to get an unfair goaltending advantage or ruining the game we love and we have to punish them for it! How about a little tolerance? Let these players be the players they always dreamed to be. 

Clearly this is satirical, but on a serious note, I do think this rule is in need of a little revision. This week a Toronto defender picked a pass off while he had one foot in the crease and was whistled for acting like a goaltender. That didn’t feel at all like the spirit of the rule to me. There’s always an element of game speed that makes these things hard to officiate, and refs are in their first year with the rule too so some latitude is fair, but it’s going to be a talking point every time a player is called for this foul.

San Diego is the best .500 team in sports

I’ve been waiting for the Seals to find their mojo a bit. Over the last two weeks things have definitely picked up. Taking a trip to Vancouver and coming away with a win was certainly eye opening, and much more in line with what the talent on the Seals roster is capable of doing. Against Philly, they looked like they had maybe regressed. San Diego didn’t score until the second quarter, and trailed 4-1 at the break. But it they started Q3 like they had a serious come to jesus moment at half time. San Diego would erase a 5-1 deficit and win the game 9-7. That’s taking care of a business against an opponent you should beat. The Seals had six players with three plus points, Zach Currier’s remarkable season continues, and Chris Origlieri returned to form. He posted 34 saves and gave up just seven goals, good for a 82.9% save percentage. That’s much more like what we’re used to seeing from him. The Seals currently sit at 3-3. They host Philly next week for the second half of a home and home, a great opportunity to gain some more confidence before they host the Rush on February 7th.

It’s Georgia’s title to lose

Don’t look now but it’s back to back wins for Georgia, the latest an OT victory against Toronto. Coming into this weekend, Georgia had neither won not lost two in a row all year. Their results were L-W-L-W-L-W. Brett Dobson’s tour de force season continues. He made 48 saves, posting a GAA of 8.93 and going 84.2% in goal, and that’s probably his worst game of the last two months. And while the story for the first several weeks was Dobson brick walling opponents, the sub text was when Georgia would figure out how to get the ball in the net. Well they’ve figured that out too. Lyle Thompson has posted multi-goal games in each of the last two contests. That includes a 10 point outing against Calgary and netting the OT game winner against Toronto. The Swarm have a stretch of schedule coming up that’s very favorable. They visit Halifax this weekend. In February, they play Vegas, Calgary, and Philly twice. Those three teams have a combined record of 5-13. If the offense can keep clicking, Georgia can shoot up the standings.