Week 20 in the National Lacrosse League starts off with two West Conference matchups with playoff seeding on the line. The San Diego Seals are looking to stay ahead of the Calgary Roughnecks in the hunt for the top seed in the West, while the Colorado Mammoth are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive.
For Friday, I’m targeting a total and a player prop, with a bet from each game.
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Colorado Mammoth vs. San Diego Seals (-1.5)
| Colorado Odds | +140 |
| San Diego Odds | -175 |
| Total | 23.5 |
| Time | Friday, 9 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPNU |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
The Colorado Mammoth host the San Diego Seals in Denver with playoff implications on the line. The West Conference showdown will air on ESPNU and feature Action Network host Brendan Glasheen on the call, but I have another reason to tune into the game.
The Seals are 1.5-point favorites and looking to increase their stranglehold on the West’s top seed, while Colorado is looking to hang on to the league’s final playoff spot. When these teams last faced, the Seals won 13-8, but the Mammoth were without a handful of key personnel, including goaltender Dillon Ward. I’m expecting a playoff atmosphere in this rematch of last year’s West Finals, so I’ll be avoiding a bet on the side. Instead, I’m looking to play the total, which currently sits at as high as 23.5.
Both Colorado and San Diego’s defenses have played substantially better in the back half of the season and I expect that trend to continue on Friday night. Ward has been streaky this season, but he and the Mammoth defense have seemed to hit their stride at the right time. Ward has posted a 9.47 goals against average in Colorado’s last four games, and three of those four games have stayed under 23.5.
As for San Diego, Chris Origlieri started for the Seals in the last meeting between these two teams, holding a depleted Colorado to just eight goals. However, Frank Scigliano has started the past three games and has returned to form in the back half of the season. I think we’ll see Scigliano get the start, but I like how this defensive unit has been playing in front of both goaltenders regardless of who gets the nod.
Furthermore, while the Seals are known for their high-powered offense, their games have stayed under 23.5 goals in four of their last five games against teams with a .500 record or better. Bet this game to be low scoring by NLL standards and stay under 23.5 (-120 on DraftKings) on Friday night.
Pick: Under 23.5
Calgary Roughnecks (-2.5) vs. Las Vegas Desert Dogs
| Las Vegas Odds | +225 |
| Calgary Odds | -290 |
| Total | 22.5 |
| Time | Friday, 9 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via FanDuel.
The other West Conference battle features the Calgary Roughnecks hosting a Las Vegas team that is all but out of the playoff picture. Still, the Desert Dogs have been scrappy and managed to defeat Calgary in these teams’ last meeting. While I think the Roughnecks should win this time around, I’m going to avoid taking them to cover the 2.5-point spread and instead bet a player prop.
Rob Hellyer has been a key part of the Desert Dogs’ inaugural season, and as such, his points prop is set at 5.5 for this game. While Hellyer has had some big performances, he’s only surpassed this mark in four of Las Vegas’ 15 games this season, making his true odds to stay under this mark closer to -275. While Hellyer has had more than a handful of five-point games, I don’t expect him to put up six or more against this Calgary defense.
Furthermore, Calgary has only allowed three players to surpass six points in their last nine games. It held Hellyer to just four points in the last matchup with Las Vegas.
Calgary goaltender Christian Del Bianco has the second-lowest goals against average in the NLL with 9.25 and has the best save percentage among starters at 81%. Bet Hellyer to stay under 5.5 points (-138 on FanDuel) on Friday night.
Pick: Rob Hellyer Under 5.5 Points
