Warriors desperate for win over Roughnecks
Vancouver needs victories — plus help — in its final two games to make playoffs
The Vancouver Warriors need to win their remaining two games, starting with today's visit from the Calgary Roughnecks, and get some help to make the National Lacrosse League playoffs.
Vancouver (6-10) hosts Calgary (8-7) at Rogers Arena today, has a bye next week and then finishes off league play hosting the San Diego Seals (9-6) on April 30.
A win over Calgary would give them the head-to-head season series, so the Warriors would need Calgary to lose April 22 on the road to the Rochester Knighthawks (312) and then at home to the Colorado Mammoth (10-6) on April 30 to edge the Roughnecks out for the third and final direct playoff spot out of the Western Conference.
Calgary, who are led by Port Coquitlam sniper Curtis Dickson and Coquitlam netminder Christian Del Bianco, head into Saturday winners of four straight. Conversely, Vancouver has dropped three in a row and seven of their last eight.
Further complicating matters for the Warriors and their playoff chase is the fact that Panther City (6-9) is still alive for third in the West. Vancouver does have the head-to-head tiebreaker with Panther City, the NLL'S expansion team from Fort Worth, Texas. Panther City is at San Diego tonight, hosts the Georgia Swarm (8-7) April 23 and then finishes of by hosting the Saskatchewan Rush April 30.
The Rush (5-10) are still mathematically alive for third in the West, but would need to win out against Colorado Saturday, the Seals on April 23 and Panther City on April 30, have the Roughnecks lose their remaining games and then have at least a three-way tie for third, since Calgary has the head-to-head tiebreaker with Saskatchewan.
The West's fourth place team can get the eighth and final playoff spot in the league if it has a better record than the fifth-place side from the East. The Philadelphia Wings (8-8) currently hold down that spot, just ahead of the Albany Firewolves (7-9).
Philadelphia is at Albany on Saturday. The Wings win and Vancouver cannot catch them. Albany wins and they'd wind up ahead of the Warriors as well, thanks to their 11-7 win at Rogers Arena in the team's only meeting this year.
This is the third season that the Warriors have been under the Vancouver Canucks' umbrella. The Canucks bought the Vancouver Stealth in 2018, moved them from the Langley Events Centre to Rogers Arena and gave the a new name and new look. If they don't make the playoffs this season, this will be the seventh time in eight campaigns that they have missed out. They qualified for the post-season in 2017, when they went 9-9, and they lost in the single-game elimination first round.
Vancouver has been without start Mitch Jones (foot surgery) for the past 11 games. Their offence has still produced in his absence. They head into the weekend tied for sixth in the 14-team league in goal scoring, at 11.06 per game.
They have had trouble winning tight games. In the past eight contests, Vancouver is 1-5 in games decided by two goals or less.