POST-SEASON WRINKLES
Rush and Bandits both hoping game on Saturday will clarify playoff picture
Three different National Lacrosse League teams can clinch a playoff berth this weekend, but the Saskatchewan Rush face a longer battle.
The Rush (6-4), who are tied for first place in a tightly packed Western Division, play the league-leading Buffalo Bandits on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Here’s some things fans need to know heading into the game.
1 PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Western Division remains congested: Saskatchewan and the expansion San Diego Seals are tied for first place with 6-4 records, followed by Calgary at 6-6, and Vancouver and Colorado at 3-8.
When it comes to playoff positioning, in a division where four teams advance to the post-season following an 18-game schedule, nobody is safe yet.
In the Eastern Division, Buffalo (10-3), Georgia (9-4) and Toronto (7-3) can all clinch a playoff spot if things break their way this weekend.
Buffalo will claim a playoff berth if they beat Saskatchewan, or if Rochester loses one of its two weekend games.
2 NEW FACE IN A NEW PLACE
Saskatchewan adds a new defender to its mix, after acquiring 15-year NLL veteran Scott Campbell from the Rochester Knighthawks this week for a conditional second-round draft pick in 2021 and a second-round pick in 2022.
Campbell, who collected six goals and 14 assists last season, is expected to be in the Rush lineup on Saturday night.
3 THE RIVALRY
Saturday’s meeting is the first — and only — regular-season game between the Rush and the Bandits.
They have played four regular-season matches since the Rush moved from Edmonton to Saskatoon before the 2016 season. Buffalo won two of those contests in overtime, while Saskatchewan won two in regulation time. The teams split a pair last season.
The same teams met in the 2016 NLL final, with the Rush pulling off a two-game sweep.
4 STREAKY TEAMS
Saskatchewan has played through three different streaks this season — one of which they would rather not replicate. After losing their first game of the 2018-19 campaign, they won three in a row, then lost three in a row, and have since won three straight.
Buffalo, meanwhile, had a sixgame win streak snapped last weekend when they lost 14-9 to the Georgia Swarm.
5 UP NEXT
The Rush enjoyed a bye last weekend, so Saturday’s game is their first since a 15-9 win over Calgary on March 2.
They’ll follow the clash with Buffalo with a road game next Friday against division-rival San Diego, then return home to host the Vancouver Warriors on March 30.