Halifax Thunderbirds at Vancouver Warriors – 04.10.26 (Jaclyn McKee)
It’s a massive NLL Friday Night on TSN as the NLL Playoffs begin! Kicking off the weekend and the quarterfinal round, the #1 Vancouver Warriors are set to host the #8 Halifax Thunderbirds!
In addition to their second consecutive playoff berth and the franchise’s second historical postseason appearance, the Vancouver Warriors clinched the number one seed with their final regular season win against Philadelphia and Colorado’s surprising loss to Calgary. Their 17-10 victory also further cemented head coach Curt Malawsky’s legacy in the League’s history book, with his 122nd career coaching win bumping him to 3rd All-Time, surpassing former Buffalo head coach and NLL Hall of Famer Darris Kilgour. Additionally, with his 11 points and end-of-season sock trick against the Wings, Vancouver forward Keegan Bal enters the postseason as the NLL’s leading point scorer, having amassed 124 points (45G, 79A) for his third consecutive hundred-point season.
Their challengers for the weekend, the freshly clinched Thunderbirds, made it into the postseason by the skin of their teeth! Despite dropping to near elimination, their back-to-back wins against Philadelphia and Rochester in Weeks 18 and 19, as well as Ottawa’s four-game losing streak ahead of Week 21, teed Halifax up as a late contender ahead of the regular season deadline.
While the Thunderbirds and Warriors, as we know them today, have not yet met in the postseason, their previous incarnations have met once in the playoffs of the past. During the 2013 NLL Playoffs, the then Washington Stealth were defeated by what were then the original Rochester Knighthawks in the title match; an 11-10 Knighthawks (Thunderbirds) victory that secured the franchise’s second title of their three-peat run.
Since the Warriors’ and Thunderbirds’ respective rebrand and relocation, as well as the NLL’s move to a unified standings format, the two have only met four times in the regular season, twice in Halifax and twice in Vancouver. Since their first meeting in 2022, the Warriors and Thunderbirds are 2-2 against one another, each with two home wins and two road losses and exactly 44 goals scored against the other.
Adding to their neck-and-neck, East-meets-West style rivalry, the two have never outscored the other by more than two goals, with their most recent and only regular season meeting this year resulting in an 8-7 victory for the Warriors. Though the ranking gap may startle Halifax fans initially, the Thunderbirds have consistently given the Warriors a run for their money, and they’re sure to amp it up here in the playoffs.
The NLL Quarterfinals kick off this Friday Night on TSN at 10:00PM ET! Streaming also available on ESPN+ and TSN+.
Buffalo Bandits against the Georgia Swarm on Nov. 29, 2025 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. (Caroline Sherman/NLL)
Night 2 of the NLL Quarterfinal Round only gets bigger as we head to Gas South Arena! The #4 Georgia Swarm are set to host the reigning champs, the Buffalo Bandits, in the Swarm’s first home playoff game since 2019.
After sweeping the weekend with two wins against the Rochester Knighthawks, the Swarm enters the quarterfinals as a major threat to the playoff landscape. Despite dropping a then much-needed win to Philly, and picking up two additional losses to Vancouver and San Diego, Georgia has remained at or above the .500 mark for the better part of the season, and at one point even held up a six-game winning streak.
Their success this season can certainly be attributed to the strength of their high-risk-high-reward rookie class, with standout performances from rookie defender Michael Grace (14 PTS, 108 LB, 28 CTO) and first-year forward Noan Byrne (55 PTS, 36G, 19A), but the record-breaking season from goaltender Brett Dobson puts the Georgia backend a cut above. Following their second win against Rochester, Dobson became the first goalie in League history to finish the regular season with a sub-8.00 goals against average (7.86 GAA, 742 SV, 85% SV%).
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Even with the hype quickly building in the American Southeast, the Buffalo bullet hype train has yet to reach its top speed. After an uncharacteristic four-game losing streak in the early weeks of the season, the Bandits ran the gauntlet through the March to May, flipping their record on a dime with a seven-game win streak ending with their Week 21 loss to the Oshawa FireWolves. Their massive midseason turnaround not only raised them from the bottom rungs of the League rankings but also nearly secured them a sixth straight first-round home playoff game. Though the Oshawa loss and two Georgia wins kept them just shy of the fourth seed, their place in the fifth seat could put them on the path to a championship rematch against the Saskatchewan Rush on the other side of the bracket.
The Bandits and the Swarm squared off just once this season, a 15-11 win for Buffalo during the opening weekend festivities. Additionally, the Bandits have historically taken the home win, holding a 10-8 record against the Swarm since their relocation from Minnesota, as well as a 10-9 overtime win over Georgia in the 2024 Playoff Quarterfinal round. With that said, the Swarm is still a contender that has proven time and time again they’re ready to step up the plate against tough opponents.
Though Georgia dropped this year’s regular-season matchup to the Bandits, last season shook differently. With a shot at the playoffs on the line, the Swarm hosted Buffalo for their final game of the regular season, resulting in a 14-11 clinching win and a scoreless fourth quarter for Buffalo. While this weekend will only be the Bandits’ second time facing off against the Swarm in the postseason, their 18 regular-season matches and previous overtime playoff match only prove that the outcome of this quarterfinal round is far from set in stone.
The reigning champs arrive at Gas South Arena this Saturday at 7:30PM ET on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
The Saskatchewan Rush host the Toronto Rock at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, April 18, 2026
The NLL Playoff excitement continues with a special Saturday night edition of NLL Friday Night on TSN! After an exciting sneak peek at this weekend’s matchup in their final matchup of the regular season, the #3 Saskatchewan Rush once again open up their doors to the #6 Toronto Rock for NLL Saturday Night on TSN.
The Rush skated back onto the regular season podium with their Week 21 win over the Rock, with Brock Haley buttoning it up in overtime to clinch their home turf advantage and the third seed. Saskatchewan, despite its chokehold over the NLL leaderboard during the regular season, as well as ending the year on a win, still looks to be facing the aftereffects of an apparent cold streak. Though not enough to knock them out of playoff contention, their unexpected five extra losses beginning in the March to May, which included two defeats at the hands of Buffalo, a drop to Colorado, and an initial loss to Toronto in Week 17. In spite of that, during the 2025 March to May, the Rush faced a similar run of inconsistencies, dropping three games to Buffalo, Halifax and Calgary during the run-up to the postseason, before taking the championship series to Game 3. Even with a slow last leg of the regular season, the Rush have proved time and time again that they are a consistent playoff-caliber team.
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After last season’s disappointing 6-12 finish, the Rock have once again made their presence felt and feared in the March to May, finishing the regular season as the sixth seed with an 11-7 record. It’s no secret that the continued health of the Rock’s, well, rock has bolstered their success, with the return and regular activation of defender Latrell Harris this season adding a much-needed physicality to the backend and shoring up several disconnects in transition as compared to the previous season. Goaltender Nick Rose’s return to Toronto in the offseason also brought with him a bit of breathing room for the Rock defense, stopping 408 shots for a 9.17 GAA.
But while Toronto’s old guard have certainly stepped up, their freshman class have hogged the spotlight. Rookie stars and first-round picks Sam English, Owen Hiltz and CJ Kirst have more than earned their roster spot this season, as well as a likely number of accolades in the postseason. Hiltz and Kirst currently lead the rookie class in points with their respective 64 and 71 point seasons, while English leads the class in loose balls at 132 pickups. The Toronto rookie trio has been instrumental to the Rock’s offensive set and transition efforts in the regular season, including Week 17’s win over Saskatchewan and their near-clinching overtime loss in Week 21.
During last weekend’s playoff sampler, the rookie trio accounted for nine points against the Rush, who were making a clear effort to prevent the 12-point run the Musketeers went on in their Week 17 matchup. With all that said, however, the Rock and Rush have yet to face each other in the playoffs in over a decade. Their last postseason meeting took place during the 2015 NLL Championship, wherein the then Edmonton Rush swept the Rock in Game 2 to take home one final title before their relocation to Saskatoon. With each team brandishing a home win against the other in the regular season, Saskatchewan stands to pull ahead once and for all with quarterfinal home-field advantage.
9:00PM ET this Saturday night on TSN. Streaming also available on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
Denver, Colorado – February 27, 2026: Colorado Mammoth player Dylan Hess (88) and San Diego Seals player Trevor Baptiste (9) after the game. San Diego Seals at Colorado Mammoth at the Ball Arena in Denver Colorado, United States. (Photo by Isaiah J. Downing/National Lacrosse League)
Last year, Vancouver was the sole western representation in the postseason, this year the Warriors are joined by two of their PST conference contenders– the #2 Colorado Mammoth hosting the #7 San Diego Seals.
The Seals have, no pun intended, beat the odds to clinch the seventh seat of the NLL Playoffs. While the Black Bears and the Desert Dogs were initially favored to hold the very same spots in the quarterfinal round, the perfect storm of wins and losses around the League presented the Seals with their golden ticket in. With Ottawa’s five-game losing streak during the earlier weeks of the March to May, as well as the Desert Dogs’ key losses to Colorado and Philadelphia, the Seals teed themselves up to not only contend, but also clinch with their unexpected win over the Georgia Swarm in Week 20. With the strength of victory, as well as the Swarm’s two-game sweep in Week 21, San Diego’s key first victory over Las Vegas pushed them into the playoffs, and the second, into the seventh seed.
That said, the top-down playoff model pits them against the #2 Colorado Mammoth in the Loud House. Though the Mammoth were among the first to clinch their playoff berth, as well as the opportunity to host in the first round, their Week 21 loss to Calgary gave up their claim over the first seed, with Vancouver’s win allowing them to sneak out of their second-place purgatory. While they may not be #1 in playoff contention anymore, the Mammoth’s home playoff game puts them at a major advantage. During the regular season, Colorado was 7-2 at home, which included a 14-12 home victory against their quarterfinal opponents, the San Diego Seals.
In their last regular season meeting, the Seals shot off to a hot start at Ball Arena, firing off six goals in the first quarter and three in the second to lead the Mammoth 9-6 at halftime. Despite their efforts, Colorado’s eight-goal second half, and goaltender Dillon Ward holding the Seals to three scores, the Mammoth pulled out the win. Historically, however, the Seals have given the Mammoth their money’s worth, leading Orlando 11-4 in their 15 regular-season meetings.
But even with the majority of the wins being held on the Californian Coast, the Mammoth have historically pulled through when it matters against San Diego, winning three of their four previous postseason meetings, including a 2-1 winning series in the 2022 Western Divisional Finals– the same year Colorado took home the League title– and a Western Quarterfinal win over the Seals the following year. While the chemical makeup of both of these teams has shifted considerably since their last postseason run-in, the Mammoth appear stronger than ever, while the Seals have proven themselves more dangerous than ever.
The Quarterfinal round wraps up this Saturday on ESPNU at 9:00PM ET, with streaming available on ESPN+, NLL+ and TSN+.
