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Season opens on December 1st. Find 2023-24 schedules here and buy your tickets today

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WK
1
Fri, Dec 1
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Halifax
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Albany
Las Vegas
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Panther City
Vancouver
Sat, Dec 2
19:00:00
Calgary
Rochester
Sat, Dec 2
19:30:00
Philadelphia
New York
WK
2
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Toronto
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Buffalo
Albany
Sat, Dec 9
19:30:00
Colorado
Georgia
Sat, Dec 9
20:00:00
Rochester
Saskatchewan
Sat, Dec 9
22:00:00
Calgary
San Diego
Sun, Dec 10
16:00:00
Las Vegas
Panther City
WK
3
Fri, Dec 15
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Las Vegas
Sat, Dec 16
13:00:00
Albany
Philadelphia
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
Halifax
New York
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
San Diego
Buffalo
Sat, Dec 16
22:00:00
Georgia
Vancouver
WK
4
Fri, Dec 22
20:00:00
Toronto
Panther City
Fri, Dec 22
21:00:00
Georgia
Colorado
Sat, Dec 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Rochester
WK
5
Fri, Dec 29
18:30:00
Philadelphia
Halifax
Fri, Dec 29
19:30:00
Georgia
Buffalo
Fri, Dec 29
22:00:00
Rochester
San Diego
Sat, Dec 30
16:00:00
New York
Toronto
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Calgary
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Vancouver
Colorado
Sun, Dec 31
20:00:00
Albany
Saskatchewan
WK
6
Sat, Jan 6
19:00:00
Halifax
Albany
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Panther City
Georgia
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Colorado
Buffalo
Sun, Jan 7
15:00:00
New York
Philadelphia
WK
7
Fri, Jan 12
18:30:00
Toronto
Halifax
Fri, Jan 12
22:00:00
San Diego
Las Vegas
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Buffalo
Rochester
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Panther City
New York
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Albany
Georgia
Sat, Jan 13
21:00:00
San Diego
Colorado
Sat, Jan 13
22:00:00
Calgary
Vancouver
WK
8
Fri, Jan 19
19:30:00
New York
Buffalo
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
Georgia
Toronto
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
San Diego
Albany
Sat, Jan 20
20:00:00
Vancouver
Saskatchewan
Sat, Jan 20
21:00:00
Calgary
Colorado
WK
9
Fri, Jan 26
22:00:00
Colorado
Vancouver
Sat, Jan 27
18:00:00
Rochester
Halifax
Sat, Jan 27
19:00:00
Buffalo
Toronto
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
Georgia
New York
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
San Diego
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 27
22:00:00
Panther City
Las Vegas
WK
10
Fri, Feb 2
19:00:00
Halifax
Philadelphia
Fri, Feb 2
19:30:00
Vancouver
Georgia
Fri, Feb 2
21:00:00
New York
Calgary
Sat, Feb 3
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Albany
Sat, Feb 3
19:30:00
Rochester
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 3
20:00:00
Panther City
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 3
21:00:00
Toronto
Calgary
Sun, Feb 4
18:00:00
Colorado
San Diego
WK
11
Fri, Feb 9
18:30:00
Las Vegas
Halifax
Fri, Feb 9
20:00:00
Colorado
Panther City
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Georgia
Rochester
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Calgary
Toronto
Sat, Feb 10
19:30:00
San Diego
New York
Sat, Feb 10
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Vancouver
WK
12
Fri, Feb 16
18:30:00
Buffalo
Halifax
Fri, Feb 16
22:00:00
Philadelphia
Las Vegas
Sat, Feb 17
19:00:00
Colorado
Albany
Sun, Feb 18
19:00:00
Halifax
Calgary
WK
13
Fri, Feb 23
21:00:00
New York
Colorado
Fri, Feb 23
22:00:00
Georgia
San Diego
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Rochester
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Vancouver
Toronto
Sat, Feb 24
19:30:00
Albany
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 24
20:00:00
Halifax
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 24
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Calgary
Sun, Feb 25
16:00:00
Georgia
Panther City
WK
14
Fri, Mar 1
19:00:00
Georgia
Halifax
Fri, Mar 1
20:00:00
San Diego
Panther City
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Toronto
Las Vegas
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Buffalo
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 2
13:00:00
Calgary
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 2
19:00:00
New York
Albany
Sat, Mar 2
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Colorado
Sat, Mar 2
22:00:00
Toronto
San Diego
Sun, Mar 3
16:00:00
Rochester
Panther City
WK
15
Fri, Mar 8
19:00:00
Vancouver
Albany
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Calgary
Georgia
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 9
17:00:00
Colorado
Toronto
Sat, Mar 9
19:00:00
Albany
Rochester
Sat, Mar 9
19:30:00
Las Vegas
New York
Sat, Mar 9
22:00:00
Halifax
San Diego
Sun, Mar 10
15:00:00
Panther City
Philadelphia
WK
16
Fri, Mar 15
18:30:00
Panther City
Halifax
Fri, Mar 15
21:00:00
San Diego
Calgary
Fri, Mar 15
22:00:00
Las Vegas
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Rochester
Albany
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Toronto
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 16
19:30:00
Philadelphia
Georgia
Sat, Mar 16
20:30:00
New York
Saskatchewan
WK
17
Fri, Mar 22
20:00:00
Buffalo
Panther City
Fri, Mar 22
21:00:00
Albany
Calgary
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Halifax
Toronto
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 23
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
New York
Sat, Mar 23
21:00:00
Rochester
Colorado
Sat, Mar 23
22:00:00
Las Vegas
San Diego
Sun, Mar 24
17:30:00
Saskatchewan
Georgia
WK
18
Sat, Mar 30
13:00:00
Buffalo
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 30
19:00:00
Halifax
Rochester
Sat, Mar 30
19:30:00
Toronto
New York
Sat, Mar 30
22:00:00
Vancouver
Las Vegas
WK
19
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Calgary
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Buffalo
Colorado
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Panther City
San Diego
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Halifax
Vancouver
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
New York
Rochester
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
Toronto
Albany
Sat, Apr 6
19:30:00
Las Vegas
Georgia
Sat, Apr 6
20:00:00
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Sun, Apr 7
16:00:00
Philadelphia
Panther City
WK
20
Fri, Apr 12
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Colorado
Sat, Apr 13
19:00:00
Rochester
Toronto
Sat, Apr 13
19:30:00
Calgary
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 13
20:00:00
San Diego
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
Colorado
Las Vegas
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
New York
Vancouver
Sun, Apr 14
16:00:00
Albany
Panther City
WK
21
Fri, Apr 19
19:30:00
Rochester
Georgia
Fri, Apr 19
22:00:00
Vancouver
San Diego
Sat, Apr 20
18:00:00
Colorado
Halifax
Sat, Apr 20
19:30:00
Albany
New York
Sat, Apr 20
20:00:00
Toronto
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 20
21:00:00
Panther City
Calgary
Sat, Apr 20
22:00:00
Buffalo
Las Vegas
Sun, Apr 21
15:00:00
Philadelphia
Rochester
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Game PreviewsNewsPlayoffsStories/Op-Ed

History Lessons Could Be Key to Game 1 of the NLL Finals

Buffalo Bandits coach John Tavares has either been through it or seen it during his legendary lacrosse career, first as a player and the NLL’s all-time leading scorer, and now as a bench boss.

Tavares recorded 1,949 points in 344 career regular-season and playoff games, all with the Bandits, but more importantly won four NLL championships during his 24-year career on the floor from 1992 to 2015.

Now, in his second season as Buffalo’s sole head coach, Tavares is using lessons from the past to prepare the top-seeded Bandits and propel them into Game 1 of the best-of-three NLL Finals against the underdog Colorado Mammoth at KeyBank Center on Saturday (7:30pm ET/ESPN+ and TSN4).

“Does history teach you anything?” asks Tavares, who won championships as a player in 1992, 1993, 1996 and 2008 but lost in his first as a head coach in 2019, the last time the NLL Cup was presented.

It’s perhaps the losses more than the wins that Tavares sees as instructional, including the 2006 championship against the Mammoth.

“I remember losing at home,” Tavares says. “I do think that team took Colorado very lightly, we thought we had to just show up and win.”

The visiting Mammoth surprised favored Buffalo, racing out to an early lead and cruising to a 16-9 victory in the one-game, winner-take-all final in front of 16,104 rabid Banditland fans. It’s Colorado’s lone title since relocating to Denver in 2002, and on that team was current Mammoth head coach Pat Coyle.

“Well I think the lesson for this year is literally the same as it was in 2019,” says Tavares. “We got to the championship as the favored team, same as in 2006, and thinking we got through the East, this is ours. But then we lost two straight games to Calgary. The lesson learned there is don’t treat anybody lightly.”

Against Colorado, the Bandits will have to contend with a potent Mammoth offense averaging 13.75 goals-for per game in the playoffs led by Eli McLaughlin, Connor Robinson and Zed Williams, a lightning-quick transition game featuring Joey Cupido, and standout goaltending from Dillon Ward.

McLaughlin is the postseason scoring leader with 17 goals and 33 points in four games, and Williams has two game-winning goals. Tim Edwards is tops in faceoff wins at 62.3 percent, while defenceman Robert Hope has hoovered a playoff-best 38 loose balls. Cupido has four goals, and Ward has an 11.88 goals-against average and .762 save percentage.

“Colorado is a very good team,” Tavares says. “We’ll try to slow them down on offense and in transition. They beat us in the one game we had this year, and during the regular season they had comebacks many times. In the West finals [against San Diego], they won two road games to win the series.”

“We have to be the better team. All week we’ve been watching video to prepare for every situation. We have to be prepared, then show up and work hard. It will be a dogfight for both teams. A tough, tough series.”

Buffalo will counter with its own high-powered offense, the dynamic duo of Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne, a stellar supporting cast including Chris Cloutier, Connor Fields, Chase Fraser, Kyle Buchanan and rookie Tehoka Nanticoke, and top netminder Matt Vinc.

“Guys this year are close-knit, the core of the group has been around for a while and are hungry to win,” says Tavares.

Byrne leads the Bandits in playoff scoring with eight goals and 23 points in three games, while Smith is right behind with seven goals and 22 points. Vinc and Buffalo have been perfect in the postseason so far at 3-0, Vinc with a 10.33 goals-against average and .805 save percentage.

Both Vinc and Smith are on the cusp of playoff milestones. Vinc needs 15 minutes to become the first goaltender in NLL history to play 2,000 career postseason minutes, while Smith needs eight points to become the 12th player in league history to reach 100.

During their one and only regular-season meeting this year on April 2 in Denver, the Mammoth outlasted the Bandits in a back-and-forth affair with Robinson scoring the game-winner late in the fourth quarter for a tight 15-14 win. Smith had 12 points for Buffalo, and recorded a league-best 135 points in 18 regular-season games.

“Obviously Buffalo is in the NLL Finals for a reason,” says Robinson, who has netted 12 playoff goals after sniping a team-high 42 for Colorado during the regular season.

The Bandits were the NLL’s best team this season with a 14-4 record. The Mammoth finished 10-8, third in the West.

“They are a very good team all around, from their offense to Vinc in-between the pipes,” Robinson says. “We have to be ready on both sides of the floor. Being aware of Buffalo’s personnel is important but we’re focusing on us and what’s got us this far, by sticking together and playing Mammoth lacrosse.”

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