NLL Week 8: What You Need to Know

It’s time to prepare for a full slate of 8 games in Week 8, including six games on Saturday evening. Things kick off with another edition of NLL Friday Night on TSN when the Vancouver Warriors visit Canada’s capital to play the Ottawa Black Bears for the first time live on TSN. This week’s Saturday Showcase game features the Buffalo Bandits hosting the Philadelphia Wings in an epic battle for first place. Can the 4-1 Wings finally knock down the 4-0 Bandits? To round out the week we have a rare Monday night game featuring the Philadelphia Wings hosting Vancouver. *The game was moved to MLK Day to accommodate the Eagles playoff game in Philly.

We’ve got all the storylines you need to know!

Friday Night on TSN, January 17

• Vancouver Warriors (3-1) at Ottawa Black Bears (3-2)
  • Where to Watch: TSN, NLL+, ESPN+, TSN+
  • Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Venue: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa
  • Overview: Vancouver’s Keegan Bal has been stellar, racking up 19 points (12G, 9A) through four games, and goaltender Aden Walsh has settled in nicely with a .810 save percentage. Ottawa’s Jeff Teat, with 27 points (11G, 16A), is a dynamic player capable of putting up 10 points a game, and Jacob Dunbar leads the team with 13 goals. Expect a battle between two of Canada’s most intriguing teams.

Saturday Showcase, January 18

• Philadelphia Wings (4-1) at Buffalo Bandits (4-0)
  • Where to Watch: ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+
  • Time: 7:30 PM ET
  • Venue: KeyBank Center, Buffalo
  • Overview: Rookie phenom Brennan O’Neill heads to Banditland this weekend as Philadelphia’s attack looks to keep things rolling. The Wings offense has been on fire this season, having put up 74 goals on 351 shots (21%) led by Joe Resetarits, who is tied for the league in scoring this season with 41 points (12G, 29A). Buffalo’s Dhane Smith leads a formidable Bandits offense with 38 points (9G, 29A). Goalie Matt Vinc looks to slow down the Wings attack, his .840 save percentage and 8.42 GAA anchors Buffalo’s defense. Both teams are coming off come-from-behind fourth quarter wins against rival teams.

Also on Saturday:

• Rochester Knighthawks (2-5) at Halifax Thunderbirds (2-3)
  • Where to Watch: ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+
  • Time: 6:00 PM ET
  • Venue: Scotiabank Centre, Halifax
  • Overview: Rochester goalie Riley Hutchcraft boasts a .790 save percentage and 11.88 GAA despite the team’s struggles, as he plays in place of the injured Rylan Hartley. Rochester looks to turn Ryan Lanchbury’s terrific season into more wins. Lanchbury is tied for the lead in league scoring with 41 points (12G, 29A). Halifax hopes to keep its offensive momentum rolling behind Randy Staats’ 38 points (7G, 31A), supported by Clarke Petterson with 32 points (8G, 24A), but the Thunderbirds’ goaltending hasn’t been quite up to par yet this season. The Thunderbirds goalies have allowed 73 GA with a .730 SV%. This is the back end of a home-and-home series – last weekend, Petterson scored the epic game winner with .01 second remaining in regulation for the 19-18 win.

• Saskatchewan Rush (4-1) at Toronto Rock (0-5)
  • Where to Watch: ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+
  • Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Venue: Paramount Fine Foods Centre, Mississauga
  • Overview: Saskatchewan’s Zach Manns has been the driving force of the Rush offense, having scored 29 points (17G, 12A) this season, he’s been a game-changer and major contributor to the Rush’s 4-1 start this season. Coming off of a disappointing loss in Buffalo, the 0-5 Rock look to get back on track this week. The Rock welcomed back their captain, Challen Rogers, who scored 7 points (1G, 6A) last week and are led by Chris Boushy 17 points (10G, 7A), and Josh Dawick who leads the team with 11 goals. But if the Rock look to right the ship they’ll need more contributors.

• Colorado Mammoth (4-2) at Albany FireWolves (1-5)
  • Where to Watch: ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+
  • Time: 7:00 PM ET
  • Venue: MVP Arena, Albany
  • Overview: Colorado’s strong start has been led by Connor Kelly, who has tallied 37 points (20G, 17A), while teammate Will Malcom adds 30 points (13G, 17A). Albany’s slow start has not been at the fault of Alex Simmons, who leads the FireWolves with 34 points (12G, 22A), but the team will need more from its other playmakers to turn its season around. Tye Kurtz looks to build momentum after scoring seven goals last week against Colorado.

• Georgia Swarm (4-2) at Calgary Roughnecks (2-2)
  • Where to Watch: ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+
  • Time: 9:00 PM ET
  • Venue: WestJet Field at Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary
  • Overview: The Swarm head to Calgary led by superstar Lyle Thompson, who leads the team with 34 points (19G, 15A). Thompson is coming off a tremendous 9-point game against Ottawa as he looks to build momentum for another MVP campaign. Calgary looks to get over .500 this week, on the back of Justin Inacio’s 78 faceoffs won. The Roughnecks have been strong during power plays and Curtis Dickson is leads the team with six power play goals. Calgary will need to lean on big performances from those two if they hope to hold off the Swarm.

• San Diego Seals (3-3) at Las Vegas Desert Dogs (1-5)
  • Where to Watch: ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+
  • Time: 10:00 PM ET
  • Venue: Lee’s Family Forum, Hendersonville
  • Overview: San Diego’s defense has shined at times. The team currently owns the league lead for caused turnovers in a single game after securing 22 in their win against Ottawa earlier this month. Vegas’ Jack Hannah will look to slip through the vaunted Seals defense and add to his team leading 27 points (14G, 13A). Rob Hellyer (11G, 17A) and Wes Berg (8G, 16A) have been offensive catalysts for San Diego.

Monday, January 20

• Vancouver Warriors (3-1)* at Philadelphia Wings (4-1)*
  • Where to Watch: ESPN+, TSN+, NLL+
  • Time: 5:00 PM ET
  • Venue: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
  • Overview: The Wings have been red hot this season as Joe Resetarits has had a stellar season. Resetarits leads the league in a number of single game highs including points (13), shots (24), shots on goal (22) while tying the league in assists (9), and power play assists (4). Vancouver’s Kevin Crowley has been dishing points out to his teammates with a team leading 8 assists. This matchup also features 2 of the top 4 defenses in the league. Vancouver goalie Aden Walsh is second in the league in save percentage at .810 and second in GAA at 9.0 (among goalies who have played 60 minutes or more).

Don’t miss the action on ESPN+, TSN+ and NLL+ as the league’s stars continue to shine on the road to the NLL Cup!