2025 NLL Playoffs: Everything You Need to Know
Kevin Crowley, Vancouver Warriors (Photo: Jordan Leigh)
The 2025 National Lacrosse League Playoffs start on Friday, April 25 at the KeyBank Center when the first-place Buffalo Bandits host the San Diego Seals in one of four NLL Quarterfinal matches.
The Bandits have made the NLL Finals in each of the last four playoffs, currently back-to-back defending champions. The Saskatchewan Rush, Halifax Thunderbirds, Vancouver Warriors, Rochester Knighthawks, Calgary Roughnecks and Georgia Swarm have also qualified for the 2025 NLL Playoffs.
Below is this year’s playoff schedule, scores, past NLL Finals results, Finals MVPs, the postseason’s most attended games, plus various playoff statistics.
Follow @TheLaxMag to keep up with this year’s NLL Playoffs.
All times listed are ET. All games will be streamed on TSN.ca/live and the TSN+ app in Canada, plus ESPN.com in the US. Select games will also be broadcast on TSN & ESPN television networks. See schedules below for further details.
NLL Quarterfinals, KeyBank Centre, Buffalo NY (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
NLL Playoff Seeding
League standings (playoff teams only) in order of overall playoff placement based on regular season records & tiebreakers. Seeding only used to determine quarterfinal matches and home-floor advantage. Teams will remain on the same side of bracket no matter anyone’s results during quarterfinals. Buffalo, Vancouver, Rochester and San Diego are on one half of the bracket, while Saskatchewan, Halifax, Calgary and Georgia are on the other.
1. Buffalo Bandits (13-5, 1-0)
2. Saskatchewan Rush (13-5, 1-0)
3. Halifax Thunderbirds (11-7, 1-0)
4. Vancouver Warriors (11-7, 1-0)
5. Rochester Knighthawks (10-8, 0-1)*
6. Calgary Roughnecks (10-8, 0-1)*
7. Georgia Swarm (9-9, 0-1)*
8. San Diego Seals (9-9, 0-1)*
*Eliminated
Jake Boudreau, Saskatchewan Rush (Photo: S. Hiscock)
NLL Quarterfinals
Single-elimination game
(1) Buffalo Bandits vs. (8) San Diego Seals
Date: Friday, April 25, 2025 (7:30pm)
Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)
Final: Buffalo 5-4 over San Diego
(2) Saskatchewan Rush vs. (7) Georgia Swarm
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025 (9:30pm)
Location: SaskTel Centre (Saskatoon, SK)
Final: Saskatchewan 13-9 over Georgia
(3) Halifax Thunderbirds vs. (6) Calgary Roughnecks
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025 (7pm)
Location: Scotiabank Centre (Halifax, NS)
Final: Halifax 16-12 over Calgary
(4) Vancouver Warriors vs. (5) Rochester Knighthawks
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025 (10pm)
Location: Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC)
Final: Vancouver 15-10 over Rochester
Marcus Klarich, Vancouver Warriors (Photo: Jordan Leigh)
NLL Semifinals
Best-of-three series
(1) Buffalo Bandits vs. (4) Vancouver Warriors
Game 1: Friday, May 2, 2025 (7:30pm)
Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)
Tickets: Ticketmaster
TV: TBA
Streaming: TBA
Game 2: Sunday, May 4, 2025 (9pm)
Location: Rogers Arena (Vancouver, BC)
Tickets: Ticketmaster
TV: TBA
Streaming: TBA
*Game 3: Saturday, May 10, 2025 (7pm)
Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)
*If necessary
Drew Hutchison, Halifax Thunderbirds (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
(2) Saskatchewan Rush vs. (3) Halifax Thunderbirds
Game 1: Saturday, May 3, 2025 (6:30pm)
Location: Scotiabank Centre (Halifax, NS)
Tickets: TBA
TV: TBA
Streaming: TBA
Game 2: Saturday, May 10, 2025 (9:30pm)
Location: SaskTel Centre (Saskatoon, SK)
Tickets: Ticketmaster (On Sale Mon., Apr. 28, 2025, 10am CT)
TV: TBA
Streaming: TBA
*Game 3: Sunday, May 11, 2025 (8pm)
Location: SaskTel Centre (Saskatoon, SK)
*If necessary
NLL Quarterfinals, Scotiabank Centre, Halifax NS (Photo: James Bennett)
NLL Finals
Best-of-three series
Games will be scheduled from May 15 to May 26
Matt Vinc, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
NLL Cup History
Champions
Best-of-three series from 2014
1987: Baltimore over Washington (11-10)
1988: New Jersey over Washington (17-16)
1989: Philadelphia over New York (11-10)
1990: Philadelphia over New England (17-7)
1991: Detroit over Baltimore (14-12)
1992: Buffalo over Philadelphia (11-10) OT
1993: Buffalo over Philadelphia (13-12)
1994: Philadelphia over Buffalo (26-15)
1995: Philadelphia over Rochester (15-14) OT
1996: Buffalo over Philadelphia (15-10)
1997: Rochester over Buffalo (15-12)
1998: Philadelphia over Baltimore (2-0)
1999: Toronto over Rochester (13-10)
2000: Toronto over Rochester (14-13)
2001: Philadelphia over Toronto (9-8)
2002: Toronto over Albany (13-12)
2003: Toronto over Rochester (8-6)
2004: Calgary over Buffalo (14-11)
2005: Toronto over Arizona (19-13)
2006: Colorado over Buffalo (16-9)
2007: Rochester over Arizona (13-11)
2008: Buffalo over Portland (14-13)
2009: Calgary over New York (12-10)
2010: Washington over Toronto (15-11)
2011: Toronto over Washington (8-7)
2012: Rochester over Edmonton (9-6)
2013: Rochester over Washington (11-10)
2014: Rochester over Calgary (2-1)
2015: Edmonton over Toronto (2-0)
2016: Saskatchewan over Buffalo (2-0)
2017: Georgia over Saskatchewan (2-0)
2018: Saskatchewan over Rochester (2-1)
2019: Calgary over Buffalo (2-0)
2022: Colorado over Buffalo (2-1)
2023: Buffalo over Colorado (2-1)
2024: Buffalo over Albany (2-0)
Pat McCready, Matt Vinc and Mike Accursi, 2012 NLL Finals (Photo: Ward Laforme Jr.)
Finals MVP
1987: Buzz Sheain, Baltimore
1988: Larry Quinn & Jeff Goldberg, New Jersey
1989: John Tucker, Philadelphia
1990: Brad Kotz, Philadelphia
1991: Gary Gait, Detroit
1992: John Tavares, Buffalo
1993: John Tavares, Buffalo
1994: Paul Gait, Philadelphia
1995: Gary Gait, Philadelphia
1996: Pat O’Toole, Buffalo
1997: Steve Dietrich, Rochester
1998: Dallas Eliuk, Philadelphia
1999: Colin Doyle, Toronto
2000: Dan Stroup, Toronto
2001: Dallas Eliuk, Philadelphia
2002: Colin Doyle, Toronto
2003: Bob Watson, Toronto
2004: Curtis Palidwor, Calgary
2005: Colin Doyle, Toronto
2006: Gavin Prout, Colorado
2007: John Grant, Rochester
2008: Mark Steenhuis, Buffalo
2009: Josh Sanderson, Calgary
2010: Lewis Ratcliff, Washington
2011: Bob Watson, Toronto
2012: Cody Jamieson, Rochester
2013: Cody Jamieson, Rochester
2014: Dan Dawson, Rochester
2015: Mark Matthews, Edmonton
2016: Aaron Bold, Saskatchewan
2017: Lyle Thompson, Georgia
2018: Jeff Shattler, Saskatchewan
2019: Dane Dobbie, Calgary
2022: Dillon Ward, Colorado
2023: Dhane Smith, Buffalo
2024: Josh Byrne, Buffalo
Dane Dobbie, 2019 NLL Finals MVP (Photo: Candice Ward)
Playoff Attendance: Over 15K
Top 10 highest all-time attendance during playoffs
1989: New York at Philadelphia (16,042) NLL Finals
1992: Boston at Buffalo (15,603) NLL Quarterfinals
1993: Boston at Buffalo (16,325) NLL Semifinals
1993: Philadelphia at Buffalo (16,325) NLL Finals
1994: Detroit at Buffalo (15,836) NLL Semifinals
1994: Philadelphia at Buffalo (16,284) NLL Finals
1996: Philadelphia at Buffalo (16,230) NLL Finals
1997: Rochester at Buffalo (18,055) NLL Finals
1999: Rochester at Toronto (15,691) NLL Finals
2001: Philadelphia at Toronto (19,409) NLL Finals
2002: Vancouver at Colorado (17,129) NLL Quarterfinals
2002: Colorado at Toronto (16,733) NLL Semifinals
2004: Buffalo at Calgary (19,289) NLL Finals
2005: Rochester at Toronto (17,289) NLL Semifinals
2005: Arizona at Toronto (19,432) NLL Finals
2006: Colorado at Buffalo (16,104) NLL Finals
2007: San Jose at Colorado (16,309) West Semifinals
2008: Calgary at Colorado (15,554) West Semifinals
2008: Portland at Buffalo (18,690) NLL Finals
2014: Rochester at Calgary (16,541) NLL Finals Game 1
2015: Calgary at Colorado (16,027) West Semifinals
2016: Calgary at Saskatchewan (15,192) West Finals Game 2
2016: Buffalo at Saskatchewan (15,182) NLL Finals Game 2
2019: Calgary at Buffalo (15,747) NLL Finals Game 1
2019: Buffalo at Calgary (17,038) NLL Finals Game 2
2022: Colorado at Buffalo (19,060) NLL Finals Game 3
2023: Colorado at Buffalo (18,296) NLL Finals Game 3
2024: Georgia at Buffalo (17,865) NLL Quarterfinals
2024: Toronto at Buffalo (16,312) NLL Semifinals Game 2
2024: Albany at Buffalo (19,070) NLL Finals Game 2
KeyBank Centre (Banditland), Buffalo NY (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
Most Goals Single Playoffs
Zed Williams, Colorado (2022) 20
Eli McLaughlin, Colorado (2022) 20
Connor Robinson, Colorado (2022) 18
Eli McLaughlin, Colorado (2023) 16
Tehoka Nanticoke, Buffalo (2023) 15
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (2023) 15
Josh Byrne, Buffalo (2023) 15
Dan Dawson, Portland (2008) 15
Curtis Dickson, Calgary (2014) 14
Josh Byrne, Buffalo (2022) 14
*Alex Simmons, Albany (2024) 14
Shawn Evans, Calgary (2014) 13
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (2022) 13
Chris Cloutier, Buffalo (2023) 13
Mark Matthews, Edmonton (2015) 13
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (2016) 13
Adam Jones, Saskatchewan (2017) 13
*Rookie
Zed Williams, Colorado Mammoth (Photo: Justin Tayfoa/Getty Images)
Most Assists Single Playoffs
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (2023) 34
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (2024) 27
Ryan Lee, Colorado (2023) 24
Josh Byrne, Buffalo (2022)
Chris Wardle, Colorado (2022)
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (2022)
Josh Byrne, Buffalo (2024)
Eli McLaughlin, Colorado (2022)
Connor Robinson, Colorado (2022)
Mark Matthews, Saskatchewan (2017)
Ethan Walker, Albany (2024)
Mark Matthews, Saskatchewan (2018)
Shawn Evans, Calgary (2014)
*Alex Simmons, Albany (2024)
Josh Byrne, Buffalo (2023)
*Rookie
Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Caroline Sherman)
Most Points Single Playoffs
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (2023) 49
Eli McLaughlin, Colorado (2022) 41
Connor Robinson, Colorado (2022) 38
Josh Byrne, Buffalo (2022) 38
Zed Williams, Colorado (2022) 37
Ryan Lee, Colorado (2023) 35
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (2022) 35
Josh Byrne, Buffalo (2024) 34
Dhane Smith, Buffalo (204) 34
Eli McLaughlin, Colorado (2023) 33
Josh Byrne, Buffalo (2023) 33
*Alex Simmons, Albany (2024) 32
Shawn Evans, Calgary (2014) 31
Dan Dawson, Portland (2008) 31
Chris Cloutier, Buffalo (2023) 30
Dillon Ward, Colorado Mammoth (Photo: Jack Dempsey)
Most Saves Single Playoffs
Dillon Ward, Colorado (2022) 289
Dillon Ward, Colorado (2023) 285
Matt Vinc, Buffalo (2023) 248
Matt Vinc, Buffalo (2022) 238
Matt Vinc, Buffalo (2018) 227
Matt Vinc, Buffalo (2024) 224
Doug Jamieson, Albany (2024) 210
Mike Poulin, Calgary (2014) 191
Christian Del Bianco, Calgary (2019) 181
Mike Poulin, Georgia (2017) 165
Aaron Bold, Saskatchewan (2016) 164
Anthony Cosmo, Buffalo (2016) 164
Matt Vinc, Buffalo (2019) 160
Brandon Miller, Toronto (2015) 159
Frank Scigliano, San Diego (2022) 149
Evan Kirk, Saskatchewan (2018) 145
Aaron Bold, Edmonton (2015) 143
Curtis Palidwor, Calgary (2004) 140
Steve Priolo, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Michael Hetzel)
Most Loose Balls Single Playoffs
Steve Priolo, Buffalo (2022) 59
Steve Priolo, Buffalo (2023) 58
Robert Hope, Colorado (2022) 57
*Jake Withers, Rochester (2018) 56
Zach Currier, Calgary (2023) 54
Graeme Hossack, Rochester (2018) 50
Robert Hope, Colorado (2023) 49
Jordan Gilles, Colorado (2023) 47
John Wagner, Albany (2024) 47
Tim Edwards, Colorado (203) 44
Jay Thorimbert, Buffalo (2014) 44
Jeremy Thompson, Saskatchewan (2017) 44
Ian MacKay, Buffalo (2022) 43
Brodie Merrill, Portland (2008) 43
Max Adler, Buffalo (2023) 41
Jay Thorimbert, Buffalo (2016) 41
Geoff Snider, Calgary (2013) 41