As the NLL is coming to the end of it’s regular season, and the playoffs are on the horizon, this week we look at who has clinched a playoff spot, as well as possibilities for those who haven’t.
How The Playoffs Work:
The East Division will have the top four teams qualify for the playoffs. The one seed will play the four seed, while two will play three, in a one game elimination. Round two (division finals) and round three (Championship) will be best two out of three.
The West Division is a bit different because they only have six teams in it. The top three teams will qualify, but the fourth team will have the best record of the remaining teams in the league (east and west) who haven’tclinched a playoff spot, and may involve an East Division crossover.
The East Division:
With still a couple of weeks left in the season, the Buffalo Bandits, and Toronto Rock have already clinched playoff spots. When the Bandits beat Georgia last weekend, they also clinched first place in the division, as well as the number one seed in the league.
Where it gets a bit messy, is for third and fourth spot, as well as the possibility of a crossover to the west division’s playoff picture.
Halifax (9-7) can clinch a playoff spot with a victory this weekend vs. New York, or next week vs. Rochester. Georgia is playing Panther City this weekend, with major playoff implications on the line in this game as well.
But as it stands now, Halifax (9-7), Georgia (8-8), Albany (8-9), and Philadelphia (8-9) are all in the hunt for playoff spots in both divisions.
The West Division:
This division is a little more defined with Colorado, San Diego, and Calgary all clinching playoff spots. The interesting part will be who gets the fourth and final spot. Will Panther City be able to sneak in, or will it be one of the east teams in a crossover?
If Panther City is able to beat Georgia this weekend, they would still be in the hunt, but with a loss, there would be a crossover team in the west division playoffs. This will give a team like Albany, Georgia, Halifax, or Philadelphia (one team that didn’t clinch a spot in the east) a chance to join this year’s playoffs.
If this is confusing, don’t worry, the next couple of weeks will make everything clear. But, as always, every game is meaningful, and every game matters.
Stay tuned! The best is yet to come!
Gary Groob has been involved with Lacrosse for the majority of his life, whether playing, coaching, or covering the sport for the media.
An avid fan, with a real drive about helping to “grow the game”, Gary became part of podcasts about the game in 2010. Through the podcasts, Mr. Groob was given an opportunity to write about lacrosse, and the rest as they say, is history.
Through many miles (flying and driving) Gary has made inroads with the National Lacrosse League, Major Series Lacrosse League, the Ontario Lacrosse Association, as well as the Arena Lacrosse League, covering the leagues, their teams, and players, working for, and in concert with all of them.
In the year 2020, Mr. Groob was made the media person for the Arena Lacrosse League, voted onto the board of directors of the Brampton Excelsiors Lacrosse Club, as well as being made administrator of the Lacrosse page “Global Lacrosse” with a membership of 9000 members in over 90 Countries. Gary was also made an administrator of Lacrosse History Past Present and Future in 2022.
Mr. Groob co-hosts a weekly Lacrosse show on Spanglish Sports World, and ZingoTV channel 250, as well as writes a weekly lacrosse column for La Portada Canada News (both in print, and online).
Gary also hosts a Lacrosse talk show and podcast for The Edge of Philly Sports Network, seen live Sunday nights at 9pm (ET), and archived on the Edge of Philly YouTube page, as well as Spotify.
Mr. Groob’s other sports interests include Hockey, Football, Boxing, Wrestling, and Baseball, competing competitively in Boxing and Wrestling for many years.
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