The Buffalo Bandits are headed back to the NLL Finals for the fourth consecutive postseason as Buffalo became the fourth franchise in NLL history to accomplish the feat with its semifinals sweep of top-seeded Toronto last weekend.

While Josh Byrne and Dhane Smith led the league in points this season, the Bandits’ defense that has stepped up to lead the team into and through the playoffs.

In 2023, the Bandits averaged 17 goals per game through the first two rounds of the playoffs. This postseason, they have averaged 10.67 goals through three games but are 3-0 due in large part to their play defensively.

Head coach John Tavares praised his defense after Buffalo’s series-clinching win over the Rock on Sunday.

“If you look at the playoffs, the scores, not many games in double digits, so you got to learn how to play with your defense,” Tavares said. “That’s why I say defense wins championships. It was nice to see our defense pick it up halfway through the year. They’ve been phenomenal and they get better every game.”

The Bandits’ defense has continued to grow in its last 10 games. The group has averaged just 6.6 goals against in its last five games after averaging 12.2 goals against in the five games prior.

The Bandits, who are backstopped by 18-year NLL veteran Matt Vinc, haven’t allowed an opponent to reach double digits since April 5 against Colorado. They will look to build off their success when they kick off the NLL Finals in Albany next Friday.

Veteran goaltending

Vinc made his first Finals appearance in 2009 with the New York Titans and is seeking his fifth NLL Cup and second with Buffalo.

The veteran’s presence provides an extra level of comfort for the team with a goaltender as decorated as Vinc standing behind them.

“He’s incredible,” Byrne said. “He’s been doing this for so long and at a high level for so long. I never had any doubt in him. He’s always been a guy who takes his craft incredibly seriously. … He’s playing at the top of his game right now so it’s awesome to see and it’s great as an offense when you have a guy like that standing between the pipes. You know you’re gonna have a chance every night.”

Tickets for Game 2 of the NLL Finals in Banditland are on sale NOW! 🎟️

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— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) May 6, 2024

Vinc has the most experience in the league and has put it to use. He is clinical when it comes to preparation, spending extra time learning where shooters like to put the ball and how to force them into uncomfortable areas by directing the defense.

As one of the most respected goalies in the NLL, it isn’t hard for Vinc to lead and direct the defensemen in front of him as he is often the first voice they go to on the floor.

“If you notice, we always go talk to Vno after a goal and see what’s going on,” transition player Ian MacKay said. “We talk it through and then it’s just a quick reset and on to the next play. The goal from there is not to let one up the next faceoff.”

Any time the Bandits let the ball find the back of their own net, all the defensemen on the floor head to the crease to check in with Vinc. It’s something that many people have noticed over the years in Buffalo, but has been common throughout Vinc’s career.

“I was a little bit younger and just trying to be vocal about different plays, maybe things you’d want to work on,” Vinc said. “It also was a little bit of a calming factor after a goal against, being able to talk things through. Once I felt that my core guys stayed in the crease and then left the crease, it was kind of signifying the goal was over and we’re moving to the next play.”

Vinc has been able to dictate the shots he gets and make his job easier between the pipes based on the trust between him and the defense in front of him. While the goalie has been key to the Bandits’ success in getting to the playoffs, he has been on another level in the postseason.

Vinc has averaged seven goals against through the playoffs, which is the best average of any of the four teams to make the semifinals. This week he was named the NLL Semifinals Impact Performer for the defensive end thanks to his 54- and 50-save performances against the Rock in Game 1 and Game 2.

“I thought he had a phenomenal game again,” Tavares said after the second win against Toronto. “When you’re down and flat, you need your goalie to make big saves. He did that, gave us an opportunity to come back. And when we were coming back, he continued to shut the door down.”

17 Points for Alex Simmons 🥍
100+ Saves for Matt Vinc 🛑

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— NLL (@NLL) May 7, 2024

Although every Bandits player talks about the comfort they have with Vinc behind them in net, Vinc attributes all his success to the defenders in front of him.

“It’s a mindset from a lot of those guys in the group,” Vinc said. “All these guys do a great job sacrificing themselves and I think that’s a big part of how you’re gonna be successful in the playoffs, showing that sacrifice. Because once one guy does it, it just seems like it’s contagious and the next guy’s gonna be willing to do the exact same thing. People are laying it all on the line and it’s in order to win a championship. I’m just fortunate to be able to play behind them.”

Reinforcements

The Bandits’ defense wasn’t whole when it entered the 2023-24 season. Between injuries and rookies just learning the ropes, this playoff team is far from the group that allowed 17 goals in its Week 1 loss to Albany.

One big puzzle piece was added at the trade deadline in addition to players getting healthy and learning. The Bandits acquired Paul Dawson, who went to four NLL Finals with Vinc from 2012 to 2018, from Colorado on March 12.

Since his arrival, the veteran defenseman has showed he has a lot to give to the defending champions.

“It put another old head in the room,” Bandits captain Steve Priolo said. “We are really young, so it was important to get a guy like him. When his name started floating around, everybody got really excited because he’s just another guy that has – he’s been around. He knows ideas, he knows teams, he knows players. You don’t have to teach him anything. It was really nice when I first met him. I just explained what we do as a defense to him in lacrosse terms and he understood everything right away.”

Dawson made an immediate impact with his size and ability to get in the way of shots. In his six regular-season games, he averaged just over two blocked shots per game and in the playoffs, he’s kept that pace with seven in three games.

Tavares brought up in a press conference in April how the defender provides another level of comfortability for Vinc, who has one of his longtime teammates from Rochester back on his right hip. It’s like the pair never missed a beat despite being on different teams for the past six seasons.

“Looking at defenders I’ve played with in my career, there probably aren’t too many that know my style of play like Paul Dawson does,” Vinc said. “He knows exactly what I’m trying to do or he’s bringing up those same points too – it’s those little nuances and those little things that I think you develop chemistry through time and fortunate for Paul and me, we’ve been able to play for a long time together. … It’s a trust factor, I just trust that he’s gonna be in a certain lane and I’m able to play off of him.”

mood pic.twitter.com/3MOwWQN6Vq

— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) May 6, 2024

Vinc wasn’t the only Bandit who benefitted from the signing. Along with Dawson’s veteran presence, players like Adam Bomberry and Justin Martin also returned from injury to bolster the defensive corps in March. Those players coming back meant a more impactful rookie experience for the Bandits’ first-round draft picks from 2022.

“In the middle of the year guys were getting their first lacrosse game ever,” Vinc said. “A guy like Zach Belter was getting major minutes on the man-down and we were throwing a lot of guys in early in the year just expecting them to know how to play the game, but they were able to get their feet wet.

“Cam Wyers comes to mind – our first game against Albany to start the year, he’s on the man-down. … It’s been great to see these guys learn throughout the year as they’ve been playing big minutes so early in their careers. Now we get a couple guys back and we’re able to balance the lineup a little bit and it’s great to see us firing on all cylinders.”

Time has proved key for rookies Belter and Wyers, who have played in all three playoff games so far. Wyers has tallied 13 loose-ball recoveries, three caused turnovers and four blocks while Belter earned a game-changing caused turnover on Chris Boushy behind the goal in Buffalo’s Game 2 win over the Rock, demonstrating his physical presence.

Vno’s Secret Service

Exemplifying the Bandits’ strong defense this year has been their penalty kill. The unit was just under 55 percent through the regular season and has gone 62.5 percent in the playoffs.

“We found our lineup back there and it allows us to get comfortable and allows us to talk to V and know what V wants,” Dawson said. “I think it just allowed us to put the system in, put guys in that we want, and put guys in comfortable positions to get the shots that we want.”

“The shots they want” are the key to the Buffalo penalty kill. The Bandits’ formation places two defenders inside the crease to cover each post for Vinc and then the key is forcing the ball up high and not allowing the power play to dictate moving Vinc side-to-side in his crease. With its opponent shooting up high, Buffalo’s close defenders cover Vinc’s posts and act as extra goalies in the crease.

The penalty kill took a significant step up with the addition of Dawson and his blocks. Since joining the team, he is a staple of the kill standing off Vinc’s right shoulder inside the crease.

“He gets into lanes and it’s been contagious, I think that’s been one of our biggest things,” Vinc said. “We’ve been able to pack it in a little bit, get in lanes, and play great team defense.”

As a team, Buffalo led the league in total blocks in the regular season with 138, which was 16 more than any other team in the league.

“I’ve always joked for years it’s felt like the best guys in front of me are blocking shots,” Vinc said. “It almost seems like I’m the president back there and they’re just trying to protect me and not let anything go through because several times on the man down they’re actually making more saves than I am.”

The penalty kill will be crucial in the Finals against Albany. The FireWolves had the worst power-play unit in the league in the regular season and went 0-for-8 on the extra man in their first playoff game against Halifax. No matter what Albany throws at them, the Bandits will be ready to jump in front of it on May 17.