The Philadelphia Wings Take on the Riptide Friday Night in the NLL Game of the Week

After a dominant win on Sunday, the Wings have a quick turnaround when the New York Riptide come to Philadelphia Friday night in the NLL Game of the Week.

The Philadelphia Wings played a near-perfect defensive game on Sunday, allowing only 4 goals. In order to win again this week, they will have to do it again. Capturing their first win of the season last Saturday, the Riptide are hungry for more winning and will surely come out firing from the opening draw.

The Wings, however, will look to counter with their own offensive firepower. With Trevor Baptiste commanding the face-off, possessions are certainly in their favor, giving lethal goal scorers like Kevin Crowley and Brett Hickey plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net.

On the other side of the field, Zach Higgins was an immovable object between the pipes last weekend, and he will certainly try to repeat his performance again tomorrow night. The ambitious offense of the Riptide will be a tough challenge, however. Dan Lomas and Connor Kelly for New York certainly stretch defenses out, while Tyson Gibson remains a dangerous inside finisher.

The defense for the Wings has been playing well all season, and after dropping a game in overtime to the Blackwolves last Saturday, they bounced back with a dominant performance the next night. Playing as a whole team, rather than a few individuals, putting points on the board has been a tough task for any opposing offense thus far. Ian Llord has taken control down low all season while Kiel Matisz dictates the transition game for the Wings.

This matchup between the Wings and the Riptide is the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Wings took control of the season series in the first game winning by a score of 15–12. They will look to gain another win against the Riptide before their final matchup of the regular season in March.

This game has a lot of implications for both teams. For New York, it is a potential turning point of the season. After starting 0-5, stringing together two back-to-back wins against two of the best teams in the league would not only help improve their record, but would build a great amount of confidence amongst the players, as well. A win against a powerful Wings team would flip the entire dynamic of the Riptide’s inaugural season.

For Philadelphia, a win moves them a step closer to the East division lead. After losing to New England last week, securing a 5^th win on the season would put the two teams neck-and-neck at the top of the East. Winning on Friday night would also be the Wings second win in 6 days, proving how physically and mentally tough they are.

The NLL Game of the Week faces off tomorrow night, Friday the 24^th at 7PM Eastern in Philadelphia and can be streamed online through B/R Live.