The second week of the National Lacrosse League season features five games on Saturday and one on Sunday as 12 of the 15 teams are in action. I’m targeting five bets, so here's a look at my NLL Week 2 best bets.
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Toronto Rock vs. Philadelphia Wings
| Toronto Odds | -200 |
| Philadelphia Odds | +150 |
| Total | 21.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via bet365. Sign up with Action's bet365 bonus code to get bonus bets for all the upcoming National Lacrosse League matches!
NLL Week 2 starts with the Toronto Rock hosting the Philadelphia Wings. The Rock are 1.5-point favorites in their first game of the season.
The Wings enter the game with a win under their belt after the offense lived up to expectations last week against the New York Riptide. Still, the defense relied heavily on goaltender Zach Higgins stopping 48 shots — the second-highest total of the weekend. Higgins and the Philadelphia defense will have their work cut out for them against a revamped Toronto offense featuring new additions of Mark Matthews, Dan Lintner and Chris Boushy. The Rock will be without Tom Schreiber, but have enough depth to put up points against the Wings.
Preseason games should be taken with a grain of salt, but the Rock's offense performed well without Schreiber. Boushy and Josh Dawick led the charge with 12 points and Matthews finished with 11 points through three games, including a win over Philadelphia.
I expect the Rock to take advantage of the Wings weakness in transition defense and score enough to cover the 1.5-point spread (-110 on FanDuel) in what could be a shootout.
I’m also looking to bet this game to go over the total of 21.5.
Both teams boast strong offensive units and should be able to test the opposing defenses.
Bet this game to surpass 21.5 points (-130 on bet365) on Saturday night.
Picks: Toronto Rock -1.5, Over 21.5
Georgia Swarm vs. Colorado Mammoth
| Georgia Odds | +105 |
| Colorado Odds | -135 |
| Total | 22.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook. When betting lacrosse, register with Action Network's Caesars Sportsbook promo code today for a sign-up offer.
The Georgia Swarm and Colorado Mammoth both open the season on Saturday. Both teams are coming off strong finishes last season, with the Swarm narrowly missing the playoffs after winning eight of their final 11 games and the Mammoth nearly winning back-to-back titles before losing Game 3 of the 2023 NLL Finals. This game is a pick 'em at most sportsbooks, but I think one team has a significant edge.
The Swarm’s late-season surge was mostly a result of a goaltender switch as the team opted to start then-rookie Brett Dobson. Dobson appears to be the goalie of the future for Georgia and the Swarm are hoping their veteran-heavy roster, led by Lyle Thompson, can make a return to the postseason this year.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Mammoth have some major injury concerns. Star forward Ryan Lee will miss the entire 2023-24 season due to setbacks with a nagging knee injury, and 2022 NLL Finals MVP Dillon Ward is doubtful to play in the season-opener. Despite plenty of postseason success, the Mammoth haven’t performed like a top team in the past two seasons, narrowly sneaking into the playoffs and benefitting from a weaker West Conference.
Colorado is well coached and certainly still has weapons on offense, but I don’t expect it to leave Georgia with a win.
Trust the Swarm to get a home victory and bet them on the moneyline (+105 on Caesars.)
Pick: Georgia Swarm Moneyline
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Rochester Knighthawks vs. Saskatchewan Rush
| Saskatchewan Odds | -122 |
| Rochester Odds | +100 |
| Total | 24.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook. When betting lacrosse, register with Action Network's FanDuel Sportsbook promo code today for a sign-up offer.
The Rochester Knighthawks and Saskatchewan Rush are both playing their second game of the season on Saturday. The game is a pick 'em at most sportsbooks, despite Rochester winning 14-13 in their first game and Saskatchewan losing 17-12.
I’ve already highlighted how poorly Rochester is underrated in the futures market, but they’re also undervalued in their matchup against the Rush. The Knighthawks are underdogs in this game at some sportsbooks, despite an impressive win against Calgary last weekend.
Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan Rush faced a tough Halifax Thunderbirds team in their first game, but left a lot to be desired on the defensive end. After trading away some key offensive pieces in the offseason, the Rush will have to deal with some growing pains and shouldn’t be able to rely on 17 power play minutes like last week.
Both teams made mid-game goaltending changes last week, but I expect Rochester’s defense to play better, whether it’s Rylan Hartley or Riley Hutchcraft in net. Hutchcraft’s .848 save percentage last weekend was key in the Knighthawks’ comeback victory and he (or Hartley) should have an easier time against this Rush offense.
I think it’s worth betting both Rochester on the moneyline and against the spread. Bet a unit on Knighthawks -1.5 (+120 on Caesars) and a unit on Knighthawks moneyline (+100 on FanDuel).
Picks: Knighthawks -1.5 (1 unit), Knighthawks Moneyline (1 unit)
