Clutch Kings: Game 3 Edition
Eli McLaughlin, Colorado Mammoth (Photo: Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
While we crowned our regular-season king over a month ago, that being Colorado’s Connor Robinson (a year after teammate Eli McLaughlin did the same), a lot of clutch play has taken place during this year’s National Lacrosse League Playoffs, which have just one more game to go.
Robinson’s Colorado Mammoth have forced a Cup-deciding Game 3 against the Buffalo Bandits for a second straight season, that monumental match happening this Saturday in Banditland (KeyBank Center, 7:30pm).
After this past Monday’s victory over the Bandits, Mammoth Head Coach Pat Coyle said, “We have some really big-game players that, when we’re in an elimination game, we’re not guessing is going to show up or not. We have players that really show up in those games.”
Zed Williams & Nick Weiss, 2023 NLL Cup Finals Game 2 (Photo: Isaiah J. Downing)
As we tweeted in the dying minutes of Monday’s final, over the past two postseasons, the Mammoth have been involved in an elimination game seven times now. Last year’s Cup winners are 7-0 in those win-or-go-home games.
For those that have followed the Clutch Kings over the past two years, that shouldn’t come as a surprise, Mammoth players regularly leading our list with others on that roster not far off their teammates’ chart-topping pace.
Playoff Clutch Kings
After eleven playoff games this year, which players have scored the biggest game-swinging (game-tying, go-ahead and game-winning) goals (more on our money math here)? A familiar name sits right on the top of our clutch countdown.
CKs Rank. Player (NLL Gs Rank), Team, CKs Points (GTG/GAG/GWG)
1. Eli McLaughlin (T1), Colorado, 7.50 (2/1/1)
2. Tyler Pace (11), Calgary, 7.00 (1/0/2)
3. Chris Cloutier (T4), Buffalo, 6.50 (0/4/1)
T4. Tehoka Nanticoke (T1), Buffalo, 5.00 (1/2/0)
T4. Chase Fraser (T9), Buffalo, 5.00 (0/1/1)
T4. Warren Jeffrey (T30), Colorado, 5.00 (1/0/1)
T7. Dan Taylor (T19), Calgary, 4.00 (1/2/0)
T7. Shane Simpson (T30), Calgary, 4.00 (1/1/0)
T7. Zach Currier (T14), Calgary, 4.00 (1/1/0)
T7. Zach Manns (T22), Toronto, 4.00 (0/0/1)
11. Jesse King (13), Calgary, 3.75 (0/3/0)
T12. Connor Robinson (T6), Colorado, 3.50 (2/0/1)
T12. Dhane Smith (2), Buffalo, 3.50 (0/1/1)
T12. Zed Williams (T4), Colorado, 3.50 (1/1/0)
T12. Corey Small (T14), Toronto, 3.50 (2/2/0)
While it’s a much smaller sample size than what we track during the regular season, it’s also not surprising that many of the same players that consistently rank high from December to April, also make an appearance in May.
Although Dhane Smith currently leads the playoffs in point production (40) and was recently named The Lax Mag’s 2023 MVP, it’s other Buffalo forwards whose goals have meant more on the scoresheet during this year’s playoffs. Chris Cloutier, Chase Fraser and Tehoka Nanticoke, who made & matched game-winning goal history last year, are right at the top of the charts during this year’s playoffs, which is impressive considering Buffalo walked through the East playoff picture with relative ease.
Chris Cloutier, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Michael Hetzel)
In our regular-season-ending edition of Clutch Kings, we highlighted the importance of non-forwards scoring back breakers in transition. There are three defense-first players above, with hardnosed Mammoth defensemen Warren Jeffrey leading. Jeffrey, who scored once during this year’s 18-game regular season, has two in this year’s playoffs, including an even-strength fourth quarter winner.
However Saturday’s finale is decided, don’t be surprised if the game winner is netted by a name above.
PIMS & PPG: A Playoff Problem?
Earlier this week, we asked our Twitter followers, “Have penalties & power-play opportunities played too big a part in this year's NLL Playoffs?” Although the poll had yet to close, when we published this report, the vote was about 50/50.
Why’d we ask?
Well, when comparing 2022’s first eleven games of the playoffs to this year’s eleven (each will have twelve games total when all is said and done), the spike in both of those stats is somewhat shocking.
Last year, 141 minutes in penalties were called after eleven games. This year? More than double at 287. Have this year’s playoffs felt any more violent or out of control versus a season ago? No, right?
That alarmingly high PIM total, as you’d likely guess, has popped power-play scoring too. In 2022, 26 PPGs were scored by teams after eleven games. In 2023? 53!
Colorado vs. Buffalo, 2023 NLL Cup Finals Game 1 (Photo: Michael Hetzel)
During the fourth quarter of games in this year’s playoffs, seven of this year’s eleven playoff games have been decided in that final frame (GWG scored in the fourth). Four of those games saw the winner scored on the power play. Is that high? Well, during this year’s regular season, which included far more than eleven total games (135 actually), in games decided in the fourth quarter, just six GWGs were also PPGs (49 others were even strength).
So, is that high? Ummm, yes!
Are referees blowing their whistles & penalizing players too harshly during this year’s playoffs?
The five-minute major called on Toronto Rock captain Challen Rogers in Game 2 of the East Conference Finals against the Bandits (cross-checking call on Justin Martin), saw a back-and-forth start completely spiral out of control while Buffalo blasted Toronto on their lengthy power-play opportunity. In the days following the controversial call (see the play and our breakdown here), the league rescinded the major and subtracted three minutes from Rogers on the official game sheet.
Challen Rogers & Justin Martin, 2023 East Conf. Finals Game 2 (Photo: Ryan McCullough)
When it comes to playoff lacrosse (or hockey and other sports), these are not the types of trends you’d expect to see. In fact, most would anticipate (and enjoy) the exact opposite.
Last year’s highest-scoring playoff game was an 18-17 affair between Buffalo & Toronto. A total of two minutes in penalties were called between the two teams and zero power-play goals were scored.
Will this year’s Cup be decided with ten total runners & two goaltenders on the floor for a majority of the game, or with men missing many minutes due to an absurdly above-average amount of penalties called? Unfortunately, it’ll looking like the latter.
Josh Byrne, Buffalo Bandits (Photo: Chris Bender)
Can Buffalo win without Byrne?
Two years ago, Buffalo’s John Byrne was our seventh highest ranked clutch scorer. Even after missing games this year due to an early-season injury, Byrne improved and crept up to fourth overall in our year-end countdown.
The Bandits have been without arguably their biggest big-game scorer for the first two games of the 2023 NLL Cup Finals, again, due to injury (upper body). Can Buffalo win their first Cup since 2008 without him?
Soon after the Mammoth won Monday’s Game 2, we asked our 34.3K Instagram followers who would win this year’s Cup with the series even at ones. The poll ended 60% in favour of Buffalo. Yesterday, we asked our IG audience if the Bandits would win this year’s Cup if Byrne was still sidelined on Saturday. The results were flipped (as of publishing this post), a Buffalo L taking up 60% of the votes.
On Friday afternoon, the NLL listed Byrne as questionable for Game 3, not officially out.