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BUF at SD - Sat. 10pm ET on ESPNews Schedule

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WK
1
Fri, Dec 2
FINAL
Philadelphia
8
Halifax
18
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Vancouver
8
Toronto
19
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
San Diego
15
New York
14
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Albany
11
Buffalo
10
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Rochester
16
Georgia
11
Sat, Dec 3
FINAL
Colorado
6
Saskatchewan
18
WK
2
Fri, Dec 9
FINAL
Las Vegas
11
Panther City
13
Fri, Dec 9
FINAL/OT
Saskatchewan
12
San Diego
13
Sat, Dec 10
FINAL
Toronto
7
Rochester
11
Sat, Dec 10
FINAL
Vancouver
9
Calgary
11
WK
3
Fri, Dec 16
FINAL
Calgary
14
Vancouver
5
Fri, Dec 16
FINAL
Panther City
9
Las Vegas
3
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Buffalo
11
Toronto
8
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Rochester
14
Albany
13
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Philadelphia
13
Georgia
12
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Halifax
20
New York
11
Sat, Dec 17
FINAL
Colorado
12
Panther City
9
WK
5
Fri, Dec 30
FINAL
Halifax
13
Buffalo
18
Fri, Dec 30
FINAL
San Diego
17
Calgary
14
Sat, Dec 31
FINAL
Panther City
9
Saskatchewan
11
WK
6
Fri, Jan 6
FINAL
Philadelphia
14
Las Vegas
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Panther City
9
Rochester
17
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Halifax
14
Albany
11
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Buffalo
18
Georgia
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Toronto
15
New York
7
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Calgary
8
Colorado
9
Sat, Jan 7
FINAL
Vancouver
11
San Diego
16
WK
7
Fri, Jan 13
FINAL/OT
Albany
11
Halifax
10
Fri, Jan 13
FINAL/OT
Saskatchewan
10
Colorado
11
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Halifax
8
Toronto
17
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Panther City
12
Philadelphia
10
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Georgia
9
Buffalo
11
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
San Diego
10
Calgary
14
Sat, Jan 14
FINAL
Las Vegas
16
Vancouver
19
Sun, Jan 15
FINAL
Rochester
11
New York
8
WK
8
Fri, Jan 20
FINAL
Buffalo
12
Rochester
15
Fri, Jan 20
FINAL
Vancouver
14
Las Vegas
15
Sat, Jan 21
FINAL
Toronto
14
Philadelphia
5
Sat, Jan 21
FINAL
New York
16
Albany
10
WK
9
Fri, Jan 27
FINAL
Rochester
7
Halifax
17
Fri, Jan 27
FINAL
Buffalo
13
Philadelphia
9
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Buffalo
16
New York
10
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Las Vegas
10
Saskatchewan
15
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL/OT
Toronto
11
Calgary
10
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
San Diego
13
Colorado
9
Sat, Jan 28
FINAL
Panther City
20
Vancouver
7
WK
10
Fri, Feb 3
FINAL
Georgia
10
Colorado
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL/OT
Calgary
12
Halifax
11
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
New York
14
Toronto
22
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Albany
5
Philadelphia
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Rochester
10
Buffalo
13
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Panther City
10
San Diego
12
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Saskatchewan
14
Vancouver
8
Sat, Feb 4
FINAL
Colorado
8
Las Vegas
13
WK
11
Fri, Feb 10
FINAL
Toronto
11
Georgia
10
Fri, Feb 10
FINAL
Saskatchewan
6
Calgary
13
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Halifax
14
Rochester
16
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Albany
12
New York
14
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Vancouver
13
Panther City
14
Sat, Feb 11
FINAL
Colorado
9
Calgary
13
WK
12
Fri, Feb 17
FINAL
Calgary
14
Vancouver
9
Fri, Feb 17
FINAL
Saskatchewan
16
San Diego
11
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Georgia
7
Toronto
16
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Las Vegas
12
Albany
10
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL/OT
Philadelphia
12
Buffalo
13
Sat, Feb 18
FINAL
Colorado
7
Panther City
13
Sun, Feb 19
FINAL
New York
12
Halifax
13
WK
13
Fri, Feb 24
FINAL
Panther City
12
Colorado
14
Fri, Feb 24
FINAL
Calgary
9
Las Vegas
11
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL/OT
New York
10
Rochester
11
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL
Albany
4
Georgia
20
Sat, Feb 25
FINAL
Vancouver
16
Saskatchewan
12
WK
14
Fri, Mar 3
FINAL
Buffalo
10
Halifax
9
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
New York
12
Philadelphia
19
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Las Vegas
12
San Diego
15
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Rochester
8
Toronto
9
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL/OT
Georgia
9
Albany
8
Sat, Mar 4
FINAL
Saskatchewan
10
Panther City
16
Mon, Mar 6
FINAL
Toronto
10
Philadelphia
11
WK
15
Fri, Mar 10
FINAL/OT
Halifax
9
Buffalo
10
Fri, Mar 10
FINAL
Calgary
16
Colorado
10
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Albany
6
Toronto
12
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Philadelphia
10
New York
13
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
San Diego
12
Saskatchewan
11
Sat, Mar 11
FINAL
Vancouver
14
Las Vegas
5
Sun, Mar 12
FINAL
Rochester
19
Georgia
18
WK
16
Fri, Mar 17
FINAL
Saskatchewan
6
Calgary
11
Fri, Mar 17
FINAL
San Diego
16
Vancouver
9
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Georgia
13
Philadelphia
12
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Toronto
12
Halifax
14
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Albany
10
New York
13
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Colorado
13
Buffalo
8
Sat, Mar 18
FINAL
Las Vegas
8
Panther City
11
Sun, Mar 19
FINAL/OT
Philadelphia
9
Rochester
8
WK
17
Fri, Mar 24
20:30:00
San Diego
Panther City
Sat, Mar 25
19:00:00
Toronto
Albany
Sat, Mar 25
19:00:00
Halifax
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 25
19:30:00
Georgia
New York
Sat, Mar 25
21:30:00
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Sat, Mar 25
22:00:00
Buffalo
San Diego
Sat, Mar 25
22:00:00
Colorado
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 25
22:30:00
Rochester
Las Vegas
WK
18
Fri, Mar 31
19:00:00
New York
Georgia
Fri, Mar 31
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Colorado
Fri, Mar 31
22:00:00
Calgary
San Diego
Sat, Apr 1
19:00:00
Buffalo
Toronto
Sat, Apr 1
20:00:00
Albany
Panther City
Sat, Apr 1
21:30:00
Vancouver
Saskatchewan
Sun, Apr 2
13:00:00
Georgia
Halifax
Sun, Apr 2
18:00:00
Rochester
Philadelphia
WK
19
Sat, Apr 8
19:00:00
Albany
Rochester
Sat, Apr 8
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Georgia
Sat, Apr 8
21:00:00
Panther City
Calgary
Sat, Apr 8
21:00:00
Vancouver
Colorado
Sat, Apr 8
22:30:00
San Diego
Las Vegas
WK
20
Fri, Apr 14
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Calgary
Fri, Apr 14
21:00:00
San Diego
Colorado
Sat, Apr 15
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Toronto
Sat, Apr 15
19:00:00
Georgia
Albany
Sat, Apr 15
19:30:00
New York
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 15
21:30:00
Halifax
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 15
22:00:00
Panther City
Vancouver
WK
21
Fri, Apr 21
20:30:00
Calgary
Panther City
Sat, Apr 22
18:00:00
New York
Halifax
Sat, Apr 22
19:00:00
Georgia
Rochester
Sat, Apr 22
20:00:00
Toronto
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 22
21:30:00
Colorado
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 22
22:00:00
Las Vegas
San Diego
Sun, Apr 23
15:00:00
Philadelphia
Albany
WK
22
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Rochester
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Buffalo
Albany
Sat, Apr 29
19:00:00
Halifax
Georgia
Sat, Apr 29
22:00:00
Colorado
San Diego
Sat, Apr 29
22:00:00
New York
Vancouver
Sat, Apr 29
22:30:00
Saskatchewan
Las Vegas
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Game PreviewsNewsPlayoffsStories/Op-Ed

The Seals Will Be Using Their Wide Array of Talent and Skills to Force Game Three

After falling a couple of goals short in Game 1 of the NLL West Conference Finals, the San Diego Seals will rely on their strengths (and a little bit of mystery) to steal a road win this Saturday night against the Colorado Mammoth in Denver.

Last weekend the Seals were entrenched in a hard-fought, back-and-forth battle against the Mammoth and unfortunately came out on the wrong end of a 14-12 loss. Seals Forward Wes Berg noted that although the team lost, there wasn’t necessarily one thing the team dropped the ball on.

“You can’t knit-pick on just one play because anything can happen in a game – you get lucky bounces or unlucky bounces,” Berg said. “That’s why [we] have to do our job for the entire game and not let it get that close then depend on a call or last-minute goal.”

The question then becomes: how do you put yourself in the best position to come out with a comfortable victory? The answer may lie in the team’s diversely talented lineup and the multitude of strategies the coaching staff likes to implement for various situations.

If there’s one thing you can say about the San Diego Seals, it’s that they have a wide array of talent at every position. Whether it’s a seasoned veteran like Brodie Merrill, a youthful wizard with the stick like Austin Staats on offense, the experienced Cam Holding, or the up-and-coming Patrick Shoemay on the backend, this team is stacked with weapons. Berg added that a significant reason the Seals are such a threat on offense is their unselfishness.

“That’s a huge part of our makeup on offense,” Berg said. “Sharing the ball – not depending on one or two guys on offense to do everything every game. Whose ever hot, you feed them the ball. It’s an offense by committee.”

In this NLL postseason, the Seals have seven players with multiple goals, including six defensemen who have scored a point. Through Week 3 of the NLL Playoffs, Rookie Patrick Shoemay leads all defensive players in scoring – he has three goals. Shoemay is also one of only seven defensemen to have recorded three or more points and is one of only two non-forwards to be listed in the Top-20 in goal scoring.

Another one of the Seals’ energetic playmakers, Drew Belgrave, noted that one strategy of this Seals team is to get the guys on the backend pushing the ball up the floor and then contributing on offense if they can.

“That’s something we’ve definitely been emphasizing more in the back half of the year,” Belgrave said. “We want to try and create three – it doesn’t necessarily have to be a defensive player scoring – transition opportunities. It would be nice to get at least one of those in a period.”

Belgrave added that there is a multitude of ways to potentially shut down this Mammoth offense now headlined by Zed Williams, Connor Robinson, and Eli McLaughlin. Targeting that trio – Williams and Robinson combined for 10 goals last weekend. It could play a significant factor in the Mammoth’s offensive gameplan.

“Of course, we want to get the ball out of those guys’ hands as much as possible,” Belgrave said. “There are situations where we’ll double-team guys, but it’s more situational. It’ll never be an all-the-time thing. When Zed gets the ball down low, and he’s attacking the net, he’s a bit of load, so we’re definitely going to need to send help down towards him. We’ll look to mix in some doubles, mix in some pressure looks and keep them on their toes.”

With the pieces in place to rebound from the unfortunate result last week, the Seals understand the task: they must win to stay alive in the NLL Playoffs. If they can utilize their strengths against these Mammoth, who are quickly becoming one of the NLL’s most formidable opponents in the league right before our eyes, the Seals can force a game three back home in San Diego, stated Belgrave.

“We’re looking to play up to our strengths as a defense using our speed and physicality,” Belgrave said. “We feel like we can put anyone against us in a bad position, regardless of who they are, as long as we can play the defense that we know we can.”

Oddly enough, Berg believes that being in a win-or-go-home situation on the road could be precisely what this team needs to step up to the occasion. He noted that there’s a different approach to road game because you aren’t faced with the same distractions.

“We’ve got a lot of balance,” Berg said. “We have a lot of confidence in our team. We have a team that’s built to play well when our back is up against the wall – that’s when we seem to play our best lacrosse.”

“We’ve done a good job all year at limiting the distractions. Sometimes being on the road is nice because all you’re doing is focusing on the game.”

You can bet that leaders like the championed Dane Dobbie and the future Hall of Famer Brodie Merrill – who has yet to win his first NLL Championship – will be urging their teammates to keep their nose to the grindstone and to focus 100% of their collective energy on winning.

This year’s Seals are built to be a threat from all over the floor. There is no one way to shut them down. Last week, it came down to the few saves and the few calls that Berg was alluding to earlier. This week, the Seals will look to dig deep into their bag of tricks and empty the gas tank to ensure that a Game 3 will be back on their home floor.

Game 2 of the West Conference Final starts at 9:30pm ET and can be seen on ESPN+ and TSN.ca.

NLL