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NLL Champion’s Cup Staff Picks

The 2013 National Lacrosse League season is going to end just as it started – the Rochester Knighthawks will travel west to take on the Washington Stealth.

The Knighthawks and Stealth both finished the year second in their respective divisions.  League wide, the Stealth is the third seed while the Knighthawks are fifth.  Rochester and Washington have met twice this season; each team winning on their home turf.  Washington took the first – and the only game in week one – 13-12. In week five, Rochester won 7-6 in this season’s lowest-scoring game. READ MORE »

NLL Divisional Finals – Staff Picks

The National Lacrosse League Divisional Finals get underway on Saturday afternoon as the defending champion Rochester Knighthawks host of the Minnesota Swarm.  Unlike the Knighthawks and Swarm, who haven’t met since a December 2012 pre-season game, the Calgary Roughnecks and Washington Stealth faced off three times in the 2013 season.  Only one of those three games was played in Calgary, the last game of the series, the Stealth coming away with the win. Both games will be broadcast live back-to-back on CBS Sports Network. READ MORE »

NLL Divisional Semifinals – Staff Picks

There are no strangers as the National Lacrosse League divisional semifinals kick off on Saturday evening; Minnesota and Toronto have met twice previously and all others have faced off three times in 2013.

You don’t need to love stats as much as I do to find the previous match-ups between these playoff pairings oddly fascinating.  The K‘hawks have doubled up twice on the Wings; in each of the three Rush-Stealth games, the losing team scored 10 goals; when Colorado and Calgary met, the home team scored 12 goals; and in both Swarm-Rock games, the winner scored 13 and the loser 12. READ MORE »

NLL Week 16 Staff Picks

The final weekend of regular season National Lacrosse League action features eight of the nine teams in four games all on Saturday evening.

Kicking off the night, the Buffalo Bandits (6-9) host New York rivals the Rochester Knighthawks (7-8), both of which are still vying a spot in the playoffs.  Also hoping for a playoff berth, the Colorado Mammoth (6-9) head to Minnesota to face the Swarm (7-8).  In the last of four Battles of Alberta, the Calgary Roughnecks (8-7) head north to face the Edmonton Rush (9-6).  In the final game of the weekend and the final game of the regular season, the Stealth (8-7) welcome in the Philadelphia Wings (7-8) to Washington. READ MORE »

NLL Week 15 Staff Picks

Week 15 of the National Lacrosse League features five games featuring all nine teams.  In the first of four Saturday games, the Toronto Rock (10-5), playing their last game of the regular season, head to Philadelphia to take on the Wings (6-8).  Both looking to get out of the bottom of the Western Division, the Minnesota Swarm (6-8) head to Colorado to face-off against the Mammoth (6-8) for the first game of the pair’s week 15/16 home and home series.  In the first game of their western road trip, the Rochester Knighthawks (6-7) travel to Calgary to take on the Roughnecks (8-6).  Also making the trip west, the stuggling Buffalo Bandits hope to snap their losing skid in Washington against the Stealth (8-6).  On Sunday, the defending champion Knighthawks continue their western road trip as they face their 2012 Champions Cup opponents, the Edmonton Rush (8-6). READ MORE »

NLL Week 14 Staff Picks

This weekend there are six games featuring all nine teams. In the first of four Saturday evening games, the Philadelphia Wings (5-7) look to snap their losing streak as they travel to Rochester for the Knighthawks’ (5-6). Buffalo Bandits (5-8), who lost all games they played in March, travel to Minnesota to take on the Swarm (6-7). Red-hot Edmonton Rush (8-5) return home from a five game-five win road trip to take on the Colorado Mammoth (5-8). Also on Saturday night the Washington Stealth (7-6)  head to Calgary for the second leg of their week 13/14 home and home series against the Roughnecks (8-5). READ MORE »

NLL Week 13 Staff Picks

This weekend there are five National Lacrosse League games featuring eight of the nine teams. On Friday night, the Toronto Rock (8-4) host the Buffalo Bandits (5-7) for the second time this season. The two have faced off twice so far in 2013, each with a road win. Also on Friday, in the first of their week 13 and 14 home and home series, the Philadelphia Wings (5-5) head to Minnesota to face the Swarm (4-7).

In the first of three Saturday evening games, the Rock head east to play the second of three games this season against the Rochester Knighthawks (4-6). The Rock won the first matchup; the two will meet against next weekend. In their second game of the weekend, the Philadelphia Wings continue west to play the Colorado Mammoth (4-8) in a rematch of their week 8 battle. READ MORE »

NLL Week 12 Staff Picks

There are three games on the schedule in the National Lacrosse League this weekend involving five of the nine teams.

The Edmonton Rush (6-5) begin their eastern road trip on Saturday night against the Buffalo Bandits (5-6). The two met last in April 2012 where the home team Rush beat the Bandits 11-8. The Calgary Roughnecks (6-5) and Colorado Mammoth (4-7) have met twice so far this season; each with a road win, meet again at the Saddledome on Saturday evening. Continuing their eastern road trip, the Rush take on the Toronto Rock (8-3) on Sunday afternoon. The pair faced off in week two, the Rock narrowly coming away with the win. The Minnesota Swarm, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks, and Washington Stealth have a bye this week. READ MORE »

NLL Week 11 Staff Picks

There are four games on the schedule in the National Lacrosse League this Saturday involving eight of the nine teams.

In the afternoon, the top 2 teams in the east face-off with the Philadelphia Wings (5-4) hosting first place Toronto Rock (7-3). The two first met in week 3, the Wings handing the Rock their first loss of the season. In a rematch of the 2012 Champions Cup game, the Edmonton Rush (5-5) head to Rochester to take on the defending champ Knighthawks (4-5). For the third time this season the Minnesota Swarm (3-7) will face the Washington Stealth (7-4). In their two previous meetings, each team has come away with a home win. The last game of the weekend is a week 10 rematch, this time the Bandits (5-5) visiting the Mammoth (3-7). Both the Toronto Rock and Washington Stealth can secure a spot in the playoffs with wins on Saturday. The Calgary Roughnecks have a bye this weekend. READ MORE »

NLL Week 10 Staff Picks

There are four games on the schedule in National Lacrosse League Week 10 action, involving seven of nine teams on Friday and Saturday evenings.

In their first of two games this weekend, last place Colorado Mammoth (2-6) head to Toronto for the first time since the 2007 season to take on the first place Rock (6-3). The Minnesota Swarm and Calgary Roughnecks played their first match-up of the season three weeks ago, the ‘necks coming away with the road win; this weekend, as both try to avoid a three game losing streak, the Roughnecks (5-5) host the Swarm (3-6). The Mammoth continue their eastern road-trip, visiting the Buffalo Bandits (5-4), who have yet to get a win in Banditland since the end of January, on Saturday night. Later on Saturday, in the third inter-divisional game of the weekend, the Philadelphia Wings, who have won three in a row, host the Washington Stealth (6-4) won have picked up wins in back-to-back weekends. The Edmonton Rush and Rochester Knighthawks have a bye this week. READ MORE »