With one week remaining in the regular season, very little has been decided in terms of the 2026 playoffs. Six teams are in and two have clinched home games, but there are still four teams vying for the final two spots, and final placements are still up in the air for every single team.
Week 20 was a lot of fun. We saw a couple of great rivalry games: Buffalo beat Rochester and Toronto beat Ottawa. Vancouver/Halifax and Philadelphia/Las Vegas were emotional, hard-nosed affairs. Colorado got an edge over Saskatchewan in the standings and San Diego kept their hopes alive with a win over Georgia, while Calgary and Oshawa played their guts out for the fans.
Read on to find out how the Power Rankings have solidified before the final slate of the regular season and how some drama might play out in Week 21.
April 11, 2026: Philadelphia Wings pose for a team photo after their final home game win 11-5 against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA.
Philadelphia sold out the lower bowl of Xfinity Mobile Arena, filled the arena with nearly 10 thousand fans. The Wings had absolutely nothing to lose, while the Desert Dogs were fighting for a playoff spot. The 11-5 victory put the Wings on their first win streak of the season. Lukas Nielsen led with seven points (4G/3A), Kyle Jackson 2G/4A and Sam LeClair 2G/3A. Nick Damude and the defence played their best game of the year, fired up while setting a franchise record of 60 saves. Eric Fannell fought Rhys Blake in the third quarter in an old-school style punch-up to invigorate the building. Post-game, the players and staff stayed on the floor to salute the crowd, take photos and reminisce. It was a grand finale in this chapter of the Wings’ Philadelphia history.
Halifax Thunderbirds at Vancouver Warriors – 04.10.26 (Jaclyn McKee)
Week 20 Result: Lost to Vancouver 8-7
Week 21 Opponent: vs Ottawa (8-9)
Previous Ranking: N/R
Although they lost to Vancouver, Halifax played well enough this weekend – and has been playing well enough lately – to jump back into the rankings. Once on a five-game losing streak, the veteran-laden team has rebounded to win four of its last seven, with three of those losses by only a single goal (including one in overtime). They’re looking more confident with each passing game and held the lead against the Warriors from 23 seconds into the game until halfway through the fourth quarter. Jason Knox has stepped up in the absence of Dawson Theede and captain Cody Jamieson is looking more determined than ever. It’s going to come down to Week 21’s match versus Ottawa to determine which of the two teams gets the final playoff spot. Win, and the Thunderbirds are in.
Week 20 Result: Beat Georgia 9-7
Week 21 Opponent: at Las Vegas; vs Las Vegas (7-9)
Previous Ranking: N/R
Turns out the Seals are still in the playoff hunt. Despite their 7-9 record, they’ve won the right games at the right time, and the final week of the regular season is going to be a showdown with Las Vegas. The teams play a home-and-home, and whichever team wins gets the spot. Talk about drama! The Seals made this possible with a big, energetic Week 20 win over Georgia, breaking a five-game skid. Ben McIntosh had a hat trick, Wes Berg had six points and Chris Kavanagh had a successful NLL debut with a goal, seven shots and four loose balls. The Seals outshot Georgia 53-40 and scooped up 33 more loose balls. It’s time for the Seals to dig deep and play their best lacrosse of the season.
San Diego at Georgia 4/12/2026
Week 20 Result: Lost to San Diego 9-7
Week 21 Opponent: vs Rochester; at Rochester (6-10)
Previous Ranking: 6th
The Swarm lacked urgency in their Sunday afternoon loss to the Seals. Their playoff spot is secure, but their positioning is not, making their upcoming home-and-home series with Rochester very important. Discipline was an issue against the Seals; though they scored four power play goals, they also gave up three and spent a full nine minutes shorthanded in the third quarter while down by three goals. Nolan Byrne was a bright spot with a hat trick, and Shayne Jackson contributed five points, but the team was significantly out-loose-balled (82-49) and they only won four faceoffs. Dillon Ward made 44 saves but looked human for the first time in a while.
The Saskatchewan Rush host the Colorado Mammoth at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, April 11, 2026
Week 20 Result: Lost to Colorado 13-11
Week 21 Opponent: vs Toronto (11-6)
Previous Ranking: 5th
With a third straight loss, the Rush slip to fifth in the League Standings. The team, once thought to be a lock for the NLL Finals, has lost its groove at exactly the wrong time. That said, they have the pieces to turn the ship around in just one game. They came oh so close this weekend against Colorado – down 8-1, the Rush scored four times in 33 seconds to open the third and outscored the Mammoth 6-5 the rest of the way, to lose by just a pair of goals. Sure, that almost-comeback is disappointing, but it’s also something to build on for a very important test against Toronto next weekend. This isn’t a team I would want to meet in the playoffs.
Week 20 Result: Beat Ottawa 10-6
Week 21 Opponent: at Saskatchewan (11-6)
Previous Ranking: 4th
Why did anyone discount the Rock this season? Well, missing the playoffs last year was why, and losing two of their first three games. But the Rock has staged an incredible comeback and they’ve done it on the down low. Nobody was really paying attention to them, allowing them to quietly rise with the crème of the crop – where the franchise feels it should be. They’ve relied heavily on rookies and faced a slew of injuries to key players – some out for extended periods of time (Dan Craig, Robert Hudson, Phil Mazzuca, Zack Kearney, Justin Martin, Nick Rose, and this weekend, Mark Matthews) but have faced everything with resilience. Against Ottawa, it was business as usual as the team looks to sew up a home playoff game. They close out the regular season against Saskatchewan, whom they beat 13-9 back in March.
Saskatchewan, Canada – April 11th, 2026: Colorado Mammoth vs Saskatchewan Rush at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatchewan, Canada (Photo by Jeff Crawford/National Lacrosse League)
Week 20 Result: Beat Saskatchewan 13-11
Week 21 Opponent: at Calgary (5-12)
Previous Ranking: 3rd
After this weekend’s battle with the Rush, the Mammoth sit in first place – they’ve clinched at least one home playoff game and are gunning for more. Jack Hannah and Will Malcom combined for 16 points without Andrew Kew in the lineup, and the supporting offence was strong against the former first-place Rush. Despite racking up a 7-0 lead, there were some nervous moments for the Mammoth: Saskatchewan roared back in the third with four goals in 33 seconds and outscored Colorado 6-5 the rest of the way. But with Dillon Ward blocking the net and captain Robert Hope scooping a whopping 16 balls out of his own end, the Mammoth held the line. They finish with a trip to Calgary this weekend.
Halifax Thunderbirds at Vancouver Warriors – 04.10.26 (Jaclyn McKee)
Week 20 Result: Beat Halifax 8-7
Week 21 Opponent: vs Philadelphia (5-12)
Previous Ranking: 2nd
After falling by 10 goals to Buffalo the week prior, Friday’s 8-7 comeback win by Vancouver over Halifax was a resilient effort, and a message to future opponents that the Warriors won’t just roll over when faced with adversity. Down 6-4, Jesse King accounted for three of the Warriors’ four goals in the fourth quarter, pushing the team to a League-best 12-5 record (equalled by Colorado on Saturday). It wasn’t a great first half for the team, but a scoreless third quarter (at both ends!) and home floor gave them a needed reset heading into the final frame. Curtis Dickson and Keegan Bal each scored twice while Christian Del Bianco and the defence held it down with 41 saves. The Warriors also clinched a spot in the top four this weekend. They host Philadelphia in their regular-season finale.
Buffalo Bandits against the Rochester Knighthawks on April 11, 2026 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. (Caroline Sherman/NLL)
Week 20 Result: Beat Rochester 12-6
Week 21 Opponent: at Oshawa (5-12)
Previous Ranking: 1st
The Bandits took down I90 rival Rochester in Week 20 to extend their streak to seven games. They’ve jumped to third in the Standings and could clinch a home playoff game this weekend with a win at Oshawa during a Tucker Out Lymphoma game – could it be any more poetic? For the rest of the season, the Bandits are the team to beat.
