Clutch Kings: Wes Berg’s clutch-scoring streak sends Seals shooting up the standings
Wes Berg, San Diego Seals (Photo: Kalea Vizmanos)
The Lax Mag’s Clutch Kings tracks an individual player’s game-tying, go-ahead and game-winning goals, then weighs them based on when they’re scored (first, second, third or fourth quarter, plus OT), but also in what on-floor situation they’re finished (even-strength, power-play or short-handed goals). The Clutch Kings countdown calculates the league’s most money goal scorer all season long, crowning the king at the conclusion of the current NLL campaign. Click here for a more detailed breakdown of Clutch Kings scoring.
Berg, Seals (Photo: Jenn Pierce)
Wes Berg is on the verge passing Zach Manns for our Clutch Kings lead, the San Diego Seals captain continuing his relentless clutch-scoring pace during the San Diego Seals’ three-game (and counting) win streak that has seen them go from playoff outsiders to post-season peaking perfection.
While not as dramatic as our Week 15 review of Berg’s heroics which included that 80-seconds-left winner over the Vancouver Warriors, his clutch touch was on full display again in San Diego’s standings-surging win (16-12) over the Calgary Roughnecks this past weekend.
Although Zach Currier scored the Seals winner about 90 seconds into the fourth frame, without Berg’s game-tying and go-ahead goals earlier in the game, San Diego could have just as easily been trailing with 15 minutes left to go versus the power position Berg put them in.
Berg would score a game-tying and then go-ahead goal in the first quarter while the teams were trading leads and trying to establish a prolonged swing of momentum. After Berg’s GAG, teammates Tre Leclaire and Jake Govett would add a pair, San Diego maintaining the lead for the next nearly 15 minutes.
After Calgary battled back later in the second, it was Berg who scored the last goal of the quarter (something else he’s excelled at this season) to tie the score at seven heading into half.
The Roughnecks came out strong in the third quarter, but yet again, with the Seals down 8-10, Berg would pull them within one and minutes later put San Diego in a lead they would not hand back to their opponents.
Berg is now just a go-ahead goal away from passing Manns for first in our CK analysis, a top-of-the-charts lead we thought would be near impossible to catch just a few weeks back.
Not only that, but Berg is now tied with Curtis Dickson for straight goals leading into Week 18, the former Roughneck & Seals teammates both sitting at 40.
How important has Berg’s goal scoring been to San Diego’s huge second-half swing? Well…
Week 1 – Week 10
Berg G/GP: 1.75
Seals Record: 3-5
Week 11 – Week 17
Berg G/GP: 4.33 📈
Seals Record: 5-1 📈
Plus, get this… In games Wes Berg has netted a hat-trick or more this season, the Seals are 6-1. In game’s he has under three, San Diego is just 2-5. It doesn’t get much more clutch than that.
While his slow start to the season and significant drop in per-game production had kept him out of MVP talk throughout much of this season so far, if Berg continues on the hot-as-hell scoring streak, which has aligned perfectly with San Diego’s game-winning success, as we mentioned in our Player Rankings post last week, Berg most definitely has an outside chance at being named 2025’s most valuable.
Last year’s Clutch Kings leader, Josh Byrne, was voted 2024’s NLL MVP.
Zach Manns, Saskatchewan Rush
NLL Clutch Kings: Week 18
CKs Rank. Player (NLL Gs Rank) Team, CKs Points (GTG/GAG/GWG)
1. Zach Manns (14) Saskatchewan, 31.50 (8/7/2)
2. Wes Berg (T1) San Diego, 30.00 (7/5/4)
3. Dane Dobbie (T6) Calgary, 25.50 (10/2/2)
4. Mitch Jones (T15) Philadelphia, 21.75 (5/5/2)
5. Kyle Buchanan (T27) Buffalo, 21.50 (5/3/3)
6. Curtis Dickson (T1) Calgary, 21.00 (6/5/1)
T7. Lyle Thompson (T6) Georgia, 20.50 (7/6/1)
T7. Clarke Petterson (T27) Halifax, 20.50 (2/4/3)
9. Connor Fields (T4) Rochester, 20.25 (7/4/2)
10. Connor Kelly (T18) Colorado, 19.50 (6/3/1)
11. Alex Simmons (T9) Albany, 19.00 (9/3/1)
T12. Chris Boushy (T15) Toronto, 18.50 (5/7/0)
T12. Andrew Kew (T51) Georgia, 18.50 (5/0/3)
14. Dhane Smith (T24) Buffalo, 18.25 (3/5/2)
15. Dyson Williams (T38) Albany, 17.75 (2/4/2)
16. Randy Staats (T41) Halifax, 17.50 (3/2/4)
17. Jeff Teat (3) Ottawa, 17.00 (9/3/1)
18. Zed Williams (T63) Colorado, 16.50 (2/1/3)
19. Rob Hellyer (T18) San Diego, 16.25 (3/6/1)
20. Ryan Lee (T31) Colorado, 15.50 (4/2/2)