Following their first close test of the season, the undefeated Buffalo Bandits will look to establish their territory at the top of the NLL standings against the second-place Philadelphia Wings on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at KeyBank Center.

The game will be broadcast on CW23 and ESPN+ while Canadian viewers can watch the game live on either TSN+ or the new NLL+ streaming platform. You can listen to the game on the radio locally at 1520 AM.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the tilt between the top two teams in the NLL.

Lineup notes (updated 12:30 p.m.)

Chris Cloutier returns to the lineup after missing the last two games due to an injury he suffered against Ottawa on Dec. 13. Taylor Dooley has also been activated for Saturday night’s game and will likely make his NLL debut after being drafted 15th overall in the 2024 NLL Draft by Buffalo.

To make room on the active roster for Cloutier and Dooley, Zack Belter and Justin Martin have been placed on injured reserve.

Last Time Out

After leading for 174 out of 180 minutes in their first three games, the Bandits only led for 5:09 in a gritty 15-13 win over the winless Toronto Rock.

Buffalo was led by a career-high eight points from Ian MacKay (5+3), as well as Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne notching 10 and seven points, respectively.

A career-high night while honoring the life of his late stepdad. 🧡

Read more on Ian’s emotional game against Toronto: https://t.co/O7KeaTJOJG pic.twitter.com/KojyFQvtN6

— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) January 16, 2025

After Mitch de Snoo’s goal with 5:31 left in the game gave the Rock a 13-12 lead, Buffalo mounted a three-goal comeback beginning with just 1:13 left to go. The run was capped off by a Nick Weiss go-ahead goal and an empty netter by Smith to keep their undefeated record.

“Their team is not indicative of their record, they’re a great team,” head coach John Tavares said. “We’ve had a lot of success against them in the last few years, so it’s an easy game for us to come in thinking that we’re going to show up and win the game, but they showed a lot of determination, a lot of fight.”

Bye, Bye, Bye

The Bandits will have a week off between their matchup against Philadelphia and their inter-state matchup against Albany. The 13-day break will be their fourth of five byes this season, the last of which will come after the Feb. 1 matchup against the Firewolves.

Only two other teams have played just four games this season (Calgary and Vancouver).

Home Sweet Home

The Bandits are in game three of a four-game homestand. In two games so far in Banditland, Buffalo has outscored their opponents by 4.5 goals per game, scoring an average of 14 goals per game.

Matchup to Watch: Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne vs. Joe Resetarits and Mitch Jones

In terms of duos in the league, there are few, if any, that match up to Smith and Byrne. This season, however, Resetarits and Jones have given them a run for their money, combining for 80 points in five games compared to Smith and Byrne’s 71 in four games.

Scouting the Wings

The Wings, similar to the Bandits, are coming into the Week 8 matchup fresh off a fourth-quarter comeback. After trailing Calgary 10-9 with just more than three minutes left in the game, the Wings scored four consecutive goals in a 2:24 span.

Philadelphia has won four straight games after losing its Dec. 1 matchup to the San Diego Seals 18-15, leading to a second-place standing in the NLL.

The Wings had the first overall pick in the 2024 NLL Draft and picked Duke’s Brennan O’Neill who so far this season has 24 points (11+13).