The battle of Interstate 90 will take center stage at Blue Cross Arena with a clash between the Buffalo Bandits and the Rochester Knighthawks set for Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Bandits (3-1) are coming off a 15-13 home win over the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. Amid a season-high seven points from Ian MacKay and a four-goal effort from Kyle Buchanan, the Bandits played the final 10 minutes with just seven defensemen as Mitch de Snoo and Zack Belter exited the game with injuries.
De Snoo and Belter were placed on injured reserve on Friday while defensemen Taylor Dooley and Carter Coffey were added to the active roster. Coffey could make his NLL debut against the Knighthawks; Dooley last played in the season opener against the Georgia Swarm and transition player Ron John – who was scratched against the Desert Dogs – is another strong candidate to slide back in the lineup.
Head coach John Tavares said it’s valuable to have talented depth in these situations and it could be a difference maker against a talented Rochester offense.
“A big difference around the league is who are your bottom three, four players,” Tavares said. “They’re going to win games for you or lose games for you. We’ve been fortunate enough over the years to have great depth and with a veteran team, it’s expected that guys will get hurt throughout the season. … We have guys like Ron John. We got Dooley, we got Coffey as a rookie that’s been looking great in practice. We have (Matt) Spanger chomping at the bit to get back in and he’s still on IR. We have some guys who are eager to play. We got guys that don’t want to lose their spot right now.”
Tavares said an additional component to his group having quality depth is that all of his defensemen play as a collective unit which makes the concept of plug and play easier.
The Bandits defensive group was tested in the final quarter against Las Vegas, which saw the Desert Dogs dominate with nine of the final 14 goals. They’ll look to take lessons from that game despite the winning result.
“Playing mediocre at times and winning a game is sort of the kiss of death too, because you can’t fall into that sort of routine and that trap,” Buchanan said after the Bandits win over the Desert Dogs.
Tavares echoed his veteran forward and said his offense could’ve utilized more of the 30-second shot clock to allow the defense to set up down the stretch against Las Vegas. Having only seven defensemen, meanwhile, led to more “sitting in the hole” which leads to less attacking shooters, effort plays and loose ball recoveries.
“What Bucky said is true; games like that are dangerous,” Tavares said. “We didn’t play our best and we still won. We do have a group that does understand what it takes to win a game. I’m sure the guys are experienced enough to know that we got to be better than we were last game, especially holding the lead.”
Here’s everything you need to know before the Bandits faceoff with the Knighthawks.
How to watch
TV (Buffalo broadcast market): WIVB News 4
Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: WWKB 1520 (6:30 p.m. pregame)
Bandits maximizing on fast starts
The Bandits got off to a blistering start in the first quarter against Las Vegas as Tehoka Nanticoke scored 14 seconds in and Buchanan followed with two goals in 25 seconds.
Buffalo has outscored opponents 17-8 in the opening quarters of games this season, an NLL-best plus-11 goal differential.
Starting fast will be key against a Rochester team that has a 13-6 advantage in the first quarter through its three games. Tavares credited the fast starts to having a veteran offense that understands the importance of playing with a lead instead of needing to comeback.
“It just shows the team is prepared and focused and ready to go right from their opening faceoff,” Tavares said. “It’s important to have the lead rather than playing catch up all game long. I would rather protect the lead than chase. When you’re chasing, you’re starting to force the issue. Sometimes you hold the stick a bit too tight. It’s important to get off to a good start, especially on the road. Looking to the next game in Rochester, it’s important for us to have the same starts we’ve had those first two games of the season.”
Nick Weiss elevating his offensive game
Another player who’s helped in those quick starts is transition player Nick Weiss, who had a pair of first-quarter goals on the road against Calgary.
Weiss has answered Tavares’ calls for being better in transition with eight points (two goals, six assists) through four games. With the Bandits potentially short defensemen on Saturday, Weiss’ activity in transition could be a pivotal offensive catalyst.
“Nick is a very underrated threat in transition,” Tavares said. “He has a very deceptive swim move, and he has a knack of putting the ball in the net whether he’s shooting it or faking it. When he gets going, he starts to stop. I love watching Nick have fun and run in transition. And he’s definitely added to his offensive output this year for the first four games.”
Scouting the Knighthawks
The Knighthawks will face the Bandits as the back end of games on back-to-back days as the former plays the Philadelphia Wings on the road on Friday.
Rochester took its first loss of the season in an 18-13 defeat to the Colorado Mammoth on Jan. 3 and allowed the most goals in a single NLL game this season.
The Knighthawks boast one of the most dynamic offenses in the league with 2025 NLL MVP winner and former Bandit Conor Fields. The East Amherst, New York, product finished third in the NLL last year with 122 points.
Ryan Smith finished 2025 second in the NLL with 49 goals and often gets the ball from two elite distributors in Ryan Lanchbury – who has the sixth most assists in the NLL with 17 – and Thomas McConvey who has 18 points.
“It’s going to be interesting to watch their offense go against our defense,” Tavares said. “Lanchbury, Fields, McConvey, [Brad] McCulley’s just getting going, Zed Williams has been a Bandit killer, Ryan Smith. These guys are really good offensive players, and all of them can put the ball in the net, all of them can get to the net, all of them are great passers, and they’re a very potent offense. They’ve got to have one of the best offenses on paper in the league… we have our hands full.”