Dhane Smith stood at the podium in the press room last Friday after becoming the eighth player in NLL history to reach 1,300 points. Instead of talking personal accolades, he focused on the Buffalo Bandits’ current three-game winning streak and the role players who have made it possible.
The Bandits were without Ian MacKay, Nick Weiss and Dylan Robinson in their 13-10 win over the Colorado Mammoth, which led to the NLL debut for Coltrane Tyson and a return to the lineup for second-year defenseman Taylor Dooley.
Smith said they’ll need to continue their next-man-up mentality when the Bandits play the San Diego Seals at Pechanga Arena on Saturday. Faceoff is set for 10 p.m.
Tavares has mixed in young pieces like Carter Coffey to help navigate injuries and it’s unclear whether any of the three injured players will return to the lineup against the Seals. However, Tavares has trust that his youthful talents can compete with anyone.
“It’s important that we play our young players,” Tavares said. “It’s tough sitting veterans for youth, but sometimes you have to do it. This past weekend, we did have a plethora of injuries, and unfortunately, some guys couldn’t go like Weisser and Robinson. Having these young guys come in and get their feet wet, just getting some experience and exposure to the league gives them a world of confidence. Hopefully they understand that we believe in them, and that’s why we put them in, especially in crucial situations. Last game was an important game so for Coltrane and Dooley to go in the game, I’m trying to tell the guys, ‘Hey, I believe in you and I have world of confidence in you.’”
The Bandits (7-6) have powered themselves back into the heart of the NLL playoff race, currently in seventh place but only 1.5 games back of third. Buffalo has won four of its last five games to turn a 3-5 stretch into an above .500 record.
A key cog of the Bandits’ surge has been Josh Byrne, who matched Smith with nine points against Colorado. After going scoreless in the loss to the Philadelphia Wings on Feb. 7, Byrne has 34 points (12+22) in his last five games with eight points against Saskatchewan and seven against the Toronto Rock.
Byrne’s increased his shot volume after having just 20 shots in a three-game stretch before the Bandits’ three-game win streak. He has a minimum of 12 shots on goal in each of the last three games and this attack mentality has pleased Tavares.
“His determination and ability to put the ball in the net and also being a facilitator,” Tavares said. “He has been playing well throughout the year, it’s just sometimes the ball doesn’t go in and as of late, the ball has started to drop for him. Even in games that he didn’t score, he was doing other things well like making good passes, getting back on defense. Last game it was nice to see him put four in and I know as an offensive player, you’re always looked at based on how many goals you’re getting and Josh is shooting the ball very well and I liked the way he got over the top last game and shot the ball on the run around defenders.”
Another catalyst for the Bandits’ turnaround has been defenseman Mitch de Snoo, who had 11 loose ball recoveries, four blocked shots and three created turnovers against Colorado. He surpassed 1,300 career loose balls in that contest.
De Snoo suffered an injury against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs back on Jan. 3 and the Bandits dropped their next four games. Buffalo is 7-2 with de Snoo in the lineup compared to 0-4 in his absence.
“He’s a beast out there,” Tavares said. “His energy, his ability to pick up ground balls and blocks shots and when given the opportunity, he’s got a really good scoring touch. He hasn’t had many opportunities this year but he can really put the ball in the net as well. Mitch is a pleasure to have back there. … There’s a strong correlation of a much higher winning percentage when he’s playing versus when he’s not.”
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Tehoka Nanticoke: the Bandits ‘most consistent offensive player’
Tehoka Nanticoke tallied his first hat trick of the season and first since Dec. 28, 2024 against Colorado and Tavares said he’s helped replace the losses of Chase Fraser and Chris Cloutier by becoming their “most consistent offensive player.”
Nanticoke has 10 points in his last three games and is already one point shy of his regular season total from last season with 19 goals, 13 assists and 32 points.
Nanticoke has the second highest shooting percentage among Bandits forwards (27.5 percent) and is tied for fourth on the team in goals playing his aggressive, pick-setting style that’s proved pivotal for the Bandits offense.
“I’ve liked his jam throughout the season, he’s getting through the middle,” Tavares said. “He does a lot of that dirty work. He’s great at drawing penalties. … He gets in front of the net and just knows what to do with the ball. Usually when he has a good opportunity, he buries it and Tehoka is a great pick setter and I just like the hop in the step this year. He’s a lot more intense and playing with a lot of emotion and I like his game right now.”
Where the Bandits stand
The win over Colorado brought the Bandits closer to sixth with Ottawa’s loss to Calgary, now a half-game back of the Black Bears. The Bandits are 1.5 games back of the Mammoth for third place and one game back of the Georgia Swarm for fourth.
Several key games are scattered across the NLL schedule this weekend with Halifax taking on the Swarm, who are tied for fourth with the Toronto Rock. Banditland will want to root for Halifax, Saskatchewan against the Rock and Vancouver against Ottawa.
The Bandits have five games remaining with three against teams below them in the standings (San Diego, Rochester and Oshawa) but key contests against Saskatchewan and Vancouver await.
Full NLL standings:
- Saskatchewan Rush (11-3)
- Vancouver Warriors (10-4)
- Colorado Mammoth (9-5)
- Georgia Swarm (8-5)
- Toronto Rock (8-5)
- Ottawa Black Bears (8-6)
- Buffalo Bandits (7-6)
- San Diego Seals (6-7)
- Las Vegas Desert Dogs (5-7)
- Rochester Knighthawks (5-7)
- Halifax Thunderbirds (5-8)
- Calgary Roughnecks (4-9)
- Oshawa FireWolves (4-10)
- Philadelphia Wings (3-11)
Scouting the Seals
The Seals are on a three-game losing streak with each defeat coming against the top three teams in the NLL. Each of the last four games the Seals have played have been decided by two goals or less including a 10-9 loss to Saskatchewan on Saturday.
San Diego is paced by Tre Leclaire, who’s tied for 15th in the league with 27 goals, and 2025 MVP finalist Wesley Berg, who has 54 points. Six different Seals have 12 or more goals including Zach Currier – a finalist for the 2025 Transition Player of the Year Award – who is second in the NLL with 154 loose ball recoveries.
Transition player Trevor Baptiste leads the NLL with a 76-percent faceoff win percentage and 245 faceoff wins. He’ll battle Connor Farrell who is seventh in the league in faceoff percentage (52 percent) by players with a minimum of 300 faceoff attempts.
Farrell held Halifax faceoff man Jake Withers – who’s second in the league in faceoff percentage – to his fourth lowest mark of the season in February. Tavares said Farrell – who went 14-for-27 on Friday – rises to the challenge in these situations.
“Connor has been really good for us this year,” Tavares said. “He had a great game last Friday, and I think the better the face off guy, the more amp up he gets for them. I thought he did well against Withers, one of the top guys in the league, so hopefully he carries that and does well against Baptiste this weekend. Baptiste has been doing really well, and it’s important to get that extra possession or two throughout the game. I’m not worried about Connor. He does a lot of great things for us, and he’s got four guys on the restraining line to help him pick up some loose balls.”