There are just two weeks left in the National Lacrosse League season and all but two playoff spots have been filled. Yet, we still have four teams competing for those remaining two postseason berths. I’m eyeing two games with potential playoff ramifications, with one bet for each.
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Saskatchewan Rush vs. Colorado Mammoth (-1.5)
| Colorado Odds | -120 |
| Saskatchewan Odds | -110 |
| Total | 22.5 |
| Time | Saturday, 9:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
The Colorado Mammoth head to Saskatchewan after securing a playoff berth last week. The 2022 NLL champs are 1.5-point favorites against a Rush team that will miss the playoffs for the second straight season. Both teams have endured ups and downs since their previous meetings in Week 1 and Week 6.
The Rush have been a shell of the team we saw at the start of the season. They have dealt with both injuries and inconsistent play from a handful of their starters. Their inability to score consistently has been a major problem, but their issues at goaltender have been the story during the second half of the season.
Alex Buque’s streakiness reared its ugly head in the second half of the season, and he ended up getting injured last week. While Eric Penney performed better in relief, the Rush announced they will start hometown rookie Laine Hruska in net, which will be a tough first career start considering the offense the Mammoth is rolling out.
Colorado has gotten hot at the right time once again. A lot of its success has been in part to Tyson Gibson and Ryan Lee’s return to the lineup. Connor Robinson, Zed Williams and Eli McLaughlin are also all healthy and the offense has averaged 12.6 goals per game in their last five contests.
Yet, the Colorado X-factor is still very much 2022 NLL Finals MVP Dillon Ward, who is stopping 78% of the shots he’s faced and has held sub-.500 teams to just an average of 9.2 goals per game since Colorado’s opening loss to the Rush.
The Rush are currently 6-10 against the spread and 1-7 straight up and ATS in their last eight games. They have not inspired enough confidence that they can put together a full 60-minute performance. Furthermore, the Mammoth still have seeding to play for, following Panther City’s loss on Friday night.
Bet Colorado -1.5 (+120 on DraftKings).
Pick: Colorado Mammoth -1.5.
Albany FireWolves vs. Philadelphia Wings (-1.5)
| Philadelphia Odds | -180 |
| Albany Odds | +140 |
| Total | 21.5 |
| Time | Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via bet365
The lone Sunday game features the Albany FireWolves and Philadelphia Wings. The Wings are 2.5-point favorites at most sportsbooks, though bet365 and FanDuel have them as 1.5-point favorites. The total ranges between 21.5 and 22.5 depending on the book.
The Wings’ playoff hopes are on life support. There are just three scenarios that get them into the playoffs — all of them require both a win and a Rochester loss this week. By the time Sunday rolls around, the Wings may already be eliminated from playoff contention.
Yet, that shouldn’t affect how the team plays on Sunday. I expect maximum effort from a team that is looking to finish the season strong, regardless of whether the playoffs are within reach. Since trading for Mitch Jones, the Wings are 6-4 against the spread and have averaged 11.7 goals per game.
Meanwhile, the FireWolves will be without assists leader Kieran McArdle for the fifth week in a row. How important has McArdle been to Albany? He still led the team in points heading into last week despite being sidelined for three games prior. Albany has averaged just 9.25 goals per game since he landed on the injured list. Zach Higgins and the Philly defense should be able to keep this Albany team at bay and build a substantial lead on Sunday.
Bet the Wings to cover the 1.5-point spread (-130 on bet365).
Pick: Philadelphia Wings -1.5.
