Toronto, San Diego, Albany, and Buffalo Advance to Semifinals

The National Lacrosse League’s (@NLL) best this season – top seeded Toronto Rock (16-3), #2 San Diego Seals (14-5), #3 Albany FireWolves (12-7), and defending champion #4 Buffalo Bandits (12-7) – won on their home floors this weekend to advance to the best-of-three NLL semifinals that will begin this Friday, May 3.

Buffalo and Toronto will rekindle one of the NLL’s biggest rivalries in a repeat of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET at FirstOntario Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. The teams then head to Buffalo’s KeyBank Center on Sunday, May 5, for Game 2 at 5 p.m. ET. If a deciding Game 3 is needed, the Rock will host on Saturday, May 11, at 7 p.m.

The NLL’s new unified standings format will bring two teams together in the postseason for the first time as San Diego will host Albany at Pechanga Arena Friday night at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT. Both teams will travel to Albany for Game 2 on Sunday, May 5, at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. Game 3, if necessary, is scheduled for Friday, May 10, at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT back in San Diego.

The winners of each semifinal series will face off in the best-of-three 2024 NLL Finals, scheduled for Thursday, May 16, through Sunday, May 19, and Thursday, May 23, through Sunday, May 26. Additionally, should both semifinal series end in two games, the NLL may move the 2024 NLL Finals up to the preceding week.

The broadcast schedule for TSN and ESPN for the semifinals will be announced later. To view the 2024 NLL Playoffs bracket, visit https://www.nll.com/standings/.

The complete 2024 NLL Playoffs semifinal round schedule:

(4) Buffalo Bandits vs. (1) Toronto Rock

• Game 1 – Buffalo at Toronto, Friday, May 3, 7:30 p.m. ET, FirstOntario Centre, Hamilton, ON
• Game 2 – Toronto at Buffalo, Sunday, May 5, 5 p.m. ET, KeyBank Center, Buffalo
• *Game 3 – Buffalo at Toronto, Saturday, May 11, 7 p.m. ET, FirstOntario Centre, Hamilton, ON

(3) Albany FireWolves vs. (2) San Diego Seals

• Game 1 – Albany at San Diego, Friday, May 3, 10:30 p.m. ET, Pechanga Arena, San Diego
• Game 2 – San Diego at Albany, Sunday, May 5, 3 p.m. ET, MVP Arena, Albany, NY
• *Game 3 – Albany at San Diego, Friday, May 10, 10:30 p.m. ET, Pechanga Arena, San Diego

*If necessary