The Buffalo Bandits have, in every sense of the phrase, made out like bandits in their first six games of the season.
They’re scoring the most goals per game (16) in the NLL, are one of only three teams allowing fewer than 10 goals per game (9.5) and own an average margin of victory of more than six goals.
Saturday night at KeyBank Center, the Bandits’ 16-10 win against the Albany FireWolves secured the fourth 6-0 start to a season in their 33-year history.
Simply put, the team has dominated in every way.
“It’s a cool feeling. I feel like on all parts of our team, we’re extremely talented,” Josh Byrne said. “You look at (Matt Vinc), the best ever. The defense is unreal and has a lot of guys that probably don’t get recognized enough. Our offense is insanely talented on top of that, and you take any one of our guys, they could be a No. 1 on any other team.”
Byrne and Dhane Smith, a duo that had a hand in all but two of Buffalo’s goals on Saturday, demand a defense’s attention. However, this leaves open the Bandits’ other talented forwards like Kyle Buchanan, Chris Cloutier, Chase Fraser, Ian MacKay and Tehoka Nanticoke.
Despite having played the fewest games in the league this season, the Bandits are the only team to have seven different players score eight or more goals, showcasing their talent on the offensive end.
So, while the league focuses on Byrne and Smith, their less heralded teammates have made substantial contributions to Buffalo’s offense.
“We attack by committee,” head coach John Tavares said. “Dhane and Josh are great, but when we have Tehoka, (Cloutier), (Buchanan), MacKay and everybody’s contributing, it’s tough to key in on Dhane and Josh. They don’t know who to cover. If we can continue to attack by committee, we’re going to be tough to stop on offense.”
The stars were out in Banditland… As they always are 🥍 pic.twitter.com/A6VsVbETVl
— NLL (@NLL) February 2, 2025
Still, Byrne and Smith’s talent and early-season success are important to note. They’ve been regulars atop NLL statistical leaderboards, but this season they’re scoring at historic paces; Smith is fifth in the league with 58 points (13+45) and leads in assists, while Byrne is seventh with 55 (21+34). Having played only six games this season, it puts them at a 174- and 165-point paces for the 18-game season, respectively, which would shatter Smith’s single-season record of 137 points in 2016.
“When you have the best passer in the world on your team, you’re going to get looks,” Byrne said. “If they don’t want to guard him, he can still score six on you. I’m super grateful to be able to play with Dhane.”
The close relationship between the two has been evident ever since Byrne’s arrival to Buffalo in the 2017 NLL Draft. When Smith was about to start his postgame press conference Saturday, Byrne poked his head through the door just to distract him for a second. Then, when Byrne took his turn at the podium and was asked about what makes a great pass, he spoke for a minute and a half about Smith’s passing skills and lacrosse knowledge.
While a mostly unchanged roster has created strong bonds, newly acquired players have acclimated quickly. Take Connor Farrell, acquired last March, who said before the season that he’s “never been on a team that’s as close as us.”
The Buffalo Bandits are 17-1 since Connor Farrell signed with the team on March 6th, 2024. pic.twitter.com/8Kju059oTp
— Adam Levi (@AdamLeviLAX) February 3, 2025
The respect Farrell has earned from his teammates was evident as he enjoyed a golden opportunity Saturday night. With 46 seconds left and the Buffalo victory in hand, an unsportsmanlike conduct call on Albany gave the Bandits a penalty shot. Banditland and the Bandits’ bench made clear who they wanted to take the shot.
‘Connor Farrell, Connor Farrell, Connor Farrell,’ the crowd chanted.
With a grin, Tavares obliged, sending the Milkman out to the center circle.
About 12 hours earlier, Farrell had been in the same spot during morning shootaround; at the end of every shootaround, Tavares has a player take a penalty shot, and Saturday morning, it was Farrell.
Fast-forward to Saturday night, and Farrell’s penalty shot ended the same way – with a save.
Buffalo fans enjoyed an extra glass of milk when Tavares sent Farrell back onto the field on the man-up unit, giving the second-year Bandit an opportunity to score. Farrell obliged, but his sidearm shot from the right side didn’t find the back of the net.
He might not have scored, but @ConnorFarrell41 gave Banditland an unforgettable moment! 🤣 https://t.co/vxXl09uNHp pic.twitter.com/oGHYQhLWes
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) February 2, 2025
“I was hoping he was going to bury it,” Tavares said. “I even gave him a chance on the power play after. Farrell’s a big part of our team.”
The gesture meant more than the result; Farrell’s teammates wanted to see the joy on his face in a scoring opportunity. And Buffalo held a comfortable enough lead, moments from its sixth straight win, to grant the faceoff specialist his chance.
That’s what making out like a bandit looks like.
This group is special. 🤩#LetsGoBandits pic.twitter.com/Q3zEvkx33s
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) February 3, 2025