The Buffalo Bandits host the Halifax Thunderbirds on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at KeyBank Center, looking to clinch the NLL regular-season crown.
The game will be broadcast on CW23. You can stream the game on ESPN+ or, if you’re in Canada, on either TSN+ or the new NLL+ streaming platform. The game will be broadcast on the radio locally on 1520 AM.
Here’s everything you need to know before the game.
Last Time Out
The Bandits beat the Colorado Mammoth 15-10 on Saturday night at Ball Arena.
Josh Byrne had a game-high 10 points (2+8) while Ian MacKay and Kyle Buchanan each had a hat trick. Dhane Smith had seven points (2+5) and Matt Vinc had a 32-save performance and scored the game’s final goal on an empty net, the second of his career.
Buffalo opened the game by scoring the first three goals. Colorado responded before the end of the quarter to make it 3-1.
Clay Scanlan scored twice in the second quarter while the Mammoth scored three times to get within one at halftime.
The Bandits stepped on the gas pedal in the second half, going on a 7-1 scoring run in a span of 6:53 to take a 13-7 lead, including three goals from MacKay. Buchanan and Vinc scored the final two goals of the game for the Bandits, clinching a home game in the playoffs.
InVINCable
Matt Vinc has been one of the most dependable goalkeepers in his career, and that trend has carried over to this season.
Vinc leads the NLL in goaltender minutes, playing 960:51, nearly 16 more minutes than the next closest goalie. He also leads the NLL in wins, being in net for all of the Bandits’ wins this season, three more than Frank Scigliano in second place.
Among current starting goalkeepers, he’s third in goals-against average (10.43) and tied for second in save percentage (79 percent), just behind Vancouver’s Christian Del Bianco, who is in first place with 82 percent but has only played four games this season.
Top of the Table
Going into the final two weeks of the season, the Bandits are top of the league while Josh Byrne, Dhane Smith and Paul Dawson continue to top statistical categories in the league.
With a win on Saturday, the Bandits can clinch the NLL regular season championship.
Smith leads the league in assists (89), five more than Rochester’s Ryan Lanchbury, who has 84 in 17 games, one more game than the Bandits have played, while Byrne is in third place with 79 assists.
The Bandits duo is also tied for first place in points (118) with each other as well as Rochester’s Connor Fields having played 17 games this season. They are also eight points ahead of Joe Resetarits, who is the next closest player to them among teams to have played 16 games.
Paul Dawson continues to extend his record-breaking year for blocked shots, collecting three against Colorado, bringing his total on the season to 45.
Goals, Goals and Goals
The matchup between Buffalo and Halifax will be one between the top two offenses in the NLL.
The two teams are separated by .3125 goals per game with the Bandits scoring 216 goals in 16 games while Halifax has 211 in the same amount.
The difference between the two teams will be found in their defenses. While the Bandits’ defense is ranked third in the league thanks to players like Dawson and Vinc among others, Halifax’s is ranked eighth, allowing over a goal more per game than Buffalo.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
Buffalo is 4-1 all-time at home against Halifax, including winning their last meeting at KeyBank Center on March 10, 2023, 10-9 in overtime.
The Bandits dropped last season’s game against the Thunderbirds in Halifax 14-12.
In eight games against Halifax, Josh Byrne has 58 points (25+33) while Dhane Smith has 53 (18+35) in seven games. Matt Vinc has played all nine games in the history between the two teams, garnering an 81% save percentage and allowing 11.09 goals per game.