NLL Power Rankings: Week 18

Every week during the 2022-23 National Lacrosse League season, The Lax Mag will publish updated NLL Power Rankings reflecting the previous week’s performances, as well as incorporating a team’s overall regular season rep, status, and success rate.

Toronto Rock 12-4 (4)

The relentless pace and overwhelming defensive AND offensive zone ball-carrier pressure the Rock released on the Bandits on Saturday night led to what was one of this year’s most perfect matches (18-7W), for any team. With just two games and two annoying bye weeks to go, can Toronto maintain that level of play leading into the playoffs?

Only four teams have ranked #1 in our weekly Power Rankings this year. Including our pre-season list, here are how many weeks teams have been on top The Lax Mag NLL Power Rankings: San Diego (7), Toronto (6), Buffalo (4) and Rochester (1).

San Diego Seals 11-3 (2)

San Diego had their own pretty perfect game this past week, beating a hot Calgary team that kept creeping closer to the Seals in the standings. Their big names up front finished often, they got good secondary scoring support from either end of the floor, and their defense limited the Roughnecks to just 40 looks on target. Unlike last year (3-6), the second half of the Seals’ season has been far more successful (4-1 so far).

Buffalo Bandits 11-4 (1)

Sure, having a sidelined Tehoka Nanticoke & Chase Fraser on the floor would have helped, but the Bandits were simply outplayed by an extremely motivated Rock roster that suffocated Buffalo for most of Saturday’s 60 minutes. Last year, Buffalo ended their season 1-3. They’ve got three left this year, including a finale in Banditland versus Toronto.

Calgary Roughnecks 10-5 (3)

Few teams had been playing as fundamentally sound and pushing the pace as much as the Roughnecks were during their recent 7-1 run. The Seals flipped the script on Friday night and outdid Calgary in areas of the game they were previously succeeding in so much. With three games to go, two will be against the just-behind-them-in-the-standings Panther City LC. It’s a critical close to their regular season.

Colorado Mammoth 7-7 (7)

And just like that, the Mammoth are back in the Top 5, looking much improved versus Vegas than they did a week earlier against the Warriors. Led by Zed Williams’ 8 points (his highest single-game total since December), the top of Colorado’s offensive depth connected consistently, while Dillon Ward rebounded nicely (81% save percentage) after getting pulled in Vancouver (65%).

Panther City Lacrosse Club 9-6 (8)

As has been the case all year, Panther City handed a team beneath them in the standings with another L, this time topping the already-eliminated Albany FireWolves, 12-8. The two biggest games on their regular-season calendar are coming up though, PCLC in Calgary this weekend and then hosting those same Roughnecks to close their campaign. There’s a good chance they see each other to open the playoffs too.

Philadelphia Wings 7-8 (9)

The Wings dropped the Knighthawks for the second time in three weeks, again, doing it in dramatic fashion during OT. Of course, Joe Resetarits netting 4, which included last night’s winner, was huge, but so was the inspired play of Taite Cattoni, whose third of the game forced the contest into an extra season-saving frame. The Wings are playing heart-attack lacrosse right now, and honestly, it’s made them fun AF to watch.

Rochester Knighthawks 9-6 (6)

A third straight loss and sixth L over their last 9GPs has Rochester reeling with just three games to go. The good news: another W and they’ll clinch a post-season spot, they play the reset of their games at home, don’t play a team .500 or above again (although that includes the Wings), plus on Sunday they got goals from defenders for the first time since March 12.

Georgia Swarm 6-8 (10)

Way back in Week 11 we said, “Georgia would likely need to go somewhere in the neighbourhood of 9-3 the rest of the way for a sniff at the playoffs. Impossible? No. Unlikely? Highly.” They were 0-6 at the time, lost another, and are now on an absurd 6-1 run that as catapulted the Swarm straight into the East playoff race. If Georgia can pull this off, it would arguably be the most incredible second-half comeback in NLL history.

Halifax Thunderbirds 7-8 (5)

With Jake Withers on the IR, the issue wasn’t so much at the dot (his understudies actually won Sunday’s FO battle), but more so the team’s general compete level versus the Swarm (7-17L) in what was easily the Thunderbirds’ most lackluster effort of the season. Halifax had just four players find the back of the net, while their transition game was limited to just a handful of quality chances. Plus, with the Swarm going 2-0 and the Wings winning in OT this past weekend, pivotal points picked up by those around them made it a doubly difficult weekend.

Saskatchewan Rush 6-8 (14)

Although they needed OT to do it, the Rush successfully snapped their 5-game losing streak with a 12-11 win over a Warriors team that started Saskatchewan’s slip way back in late February. They got big games from their veteran leaders and a solid start from Alex Buque, two things that need to continue if they hope to extend their season past April. Saskatchewan’s final four are against teams, like them, who are still in the post-season hunt but have yet to lock up a spot (at Georgia, vs. Halifax, vs. Colorado and at Las Vegas). The Rush’s playoffs pretty much start, well, now.

Las Vegas Desert Dogs 5-9 (12)

Although their chances of qualifying for this year’s playoffs are slim, the Desert Dogs are clearly still focussed on the present. Their coming-soon future is worth mentioning too though. The team will have 2022 NLL Entry Draft picks like forward Dylan Watson (Orangeville/Georgetown/Jacksonville), defensemen Jake Saunders (Burlington/Richmond) and forward Sean Westley (Peterborough/Whitby/St. Bonaventure) in camp next year. Plus, Las Vegas has five picks in the first three rounds of this year’s NLL Entry Draft, including two in the opening round (their own + Rochester’s).

Vancouver Warriors 4-11 (13)

Down 11-6 in the fourth quarter, the Warriors stormed back with five straight to send their game against the Rush into OT, where they would eventually lose a few minutes in. It was an effort and coulda-gone-either-way result we likely weren’t seeing from this team last year or early this season. Over his first seven games this year, rookie Chase Scanlan had registered just 2 goals. During his last five starts? 10.

New York Riptide 4-11 (11)

With just 2 assists against the Swarm, Jeff Teat matched his career record for fewest points in a game, one which New York not surprisingly lost without his firepower present. Another loss and the Riptide will match last year’s 12, which was the second lowest L total in the league. Off this weekend, next up are the Bandits, who are looking for a team to tee off on to get back on track prior to the playoffs.

Albany FireWolves 2-12 (15)

Justin Geddie got the start in goal and most definitely gave the FireWolves a chance to compete, but Albany continued to struggle to put points on the board in their 8-12L to Panther City. A few weeks back, we looked at how close the team could come to setting new single-season record lows for the Wings/Black Wolves/FireWolves franchise. Currently on a 10-game losing streak, the FireWolves year-end record might end up being one of the worst in NLL history. With four games left, the FireWolves winning % sits at 0.143. Below are the only teams in NLL history who have finished a full season with a lower W% than the one Albany currently owns.

2018 Vancouver Stealth 2-16 (0.111)
2006 Edmonton Rush 1-15 (0.063)
2004 Anaheim Storm 1-15 (0.063)
2001 Ottawa Rebel 1-13 (0.071)
2000 Syracuse Smash 1-11 (0.083)
1996 Charlotte Cobras 0-10 (0.000)
1994 Baltimore Thunder 1-7 (0.125)
1993 Pittsburgh Bulls 1-7 (0.125)
1990 Detroit Turbos 1-7 (0.125)
1989 Washington Wave 1-7 (0.125)