Premier Lacrosse League Week 2 Saturday Picks: PLL Best Bets for Chaos vs. Atlas, Cannons vs. Whipsnakes (June 8)

Week 2 in the Premier Lacrosse League continues with two more games on Saturday night. The first game features a battle between a pair of 2-0 teams, while the second game involves teams each seeking their first win.

Let’s take a look at my four PLL best bets for tonight's slate.

Carolina Chaos vs. New York Atlas

Odds via bet365

The Chaos host the New York Atlas in the second game of the weekend for Carolina. New York is a 1.5-point favorite and the total is as high as 26.

The story of New York’s season has been their offense’s red-hot start, winning both their games in Week 1 by scoring 19 and 17 goals respectively. They’ve seemed to have mastered the ability to not only win faceoffs with Trevor Baptiste, but also convert those initial possessions into goals. While we could see some regression against this Carolina defense, even considering starting goalie Blaze Riorden’s absence, I think New York matches up well with the Chaos.

The Atlas transition defense was a weak area in both their games, but without Riorden in net, we haven’t seen Chaos push the tempo as often. New York’s defense played well in settled situations against a deep Cannons offense and limited the Whipsnakes in the first half of their second game last weekend before fatigue set in. With a week of rest, they should be able to stifle a Chaos offense that's not only on short rest, but has been extremely sloppy through two games. While Carolina certainly has the offensive firepower, they’re still struggling to find a consistent rhythm on offense and I don’t expect them to fully figure it out on Saturday.

I also think the Atlas offense has the ability to attack this Carolina defense with players other than Jeff Teat and Connor Shellenberger. While New York midfielder Bryan Costabile being out is a significant loss, Myles Jones, Dox Aitken, Dylan Molloy, Ronan Jacoby and Reid Bowering are all players who should be able to contribute from the midfield.

Denver and California had success against Carolina’s defense by stretching the field and initiating from behind the net and above the arc. New York’s ability to attack Carolina’s short-stick defensive midfielders will be key in this game and I think those aforementioned Atlas midfielders are up for the challenge. Bet New York to cover the 1.5-point spread at +100 on bet365.

Now, as uncorrelated as it sounds, I expect Atlas to win and cover without Teat having another monster game. Teat has been extremely effective as both a feeder and off-ball finisher so far this season. He took advantage of Boston and Maryland defenses that both had new pieces, but I don’t expect him to be able to record six points against this Chaos defense that returned all of their starters. Shellenberger being back in the lineup certainly alleviates some pressure, but as mentioned before, the way to beat this Chaos defense will be by spreading it out and attacking it from behind and up top. Teat operates best from the left wing and I wouldn’t be surprised if Chaos makes it a priority to shut him off and deny him the ball.

Despite his game-breaking ability, this line is too high given the matchup and is a great sell-high spot on Teat. Bet Teat to stay under 5.5 points at -130 on bet365.

Picks: Atlas -1.5, Jeff Teat Under 5.5 Points

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Boston Cannons vs. Maryland Whipsnakes

Odds via FanDuel

The final game of the weekend features the Boston Cannons and Maryland Whipsnakes each seeking their first win of the season. Boston is a 1.5-point favorite and the total is 25.5 at most sportsbooks.

I had high expectations for Boston entering this season, but their settled offense wasn’t as crisp in Week 1 and their newly-formed defense was abysmal to start the season. This team is too talented to not eventually figure it out, but I expect them to struggle against Maryland on Saturday night.

The aforementioned defense was beaten every which way last Saturday, with offseason acquisitions Bryce Young and Garrett Epple getting beat off the dodge and struggling off-ball. Boston defender Jack Kielty’s absence was more significant than I expected and I’m not convinced the Cannons will have it all figured out against a deep Maryland offense.

Maryland’s defense didn’t fare too great last weekend either, but seemed to settle down when they made a goalie change. While I’m not sure if we’ll see Kyle Bernlohr start again or Maryland ride the hot hand in Brendan Krebs, I think we’ll see a better showing from this defense. Faceoff specialist Joe Nardella’s return to the lineup should also give the Whipsnakes a significant edge in the possession department and Boston’s 2023 faceoff strategy was not nearly as effective with the rules now preventing them from using a long-pole to faceoff. While Boston activated faceoff specialist Zac Tucci for Saturday’s game, he’ll have his hands full against Nardella.

Ultimately, I think this is a great spot to bet the underdog to win outright. Bet Whipsnakes moneyline at +110.

I also like betting TJ Malone to go over 3.5 points on Saturday. Malone recorded six points in his debut with three goals and three assists—-and Maryland head coach Jim Stagnitta stated he wished they got Malone even more involved than they did. While we can’t expect six-point outings from the rookie every week, I think he has a good opportunity to record more than three points against this Boston defense. The Cannons will have their hands full trying to defend burly attackmen Zed Williams and Matt Rambo, while limiting Maryland’s deep threats like Mike Chanenchuk. Malone should be the catalyst for getting all of Maryland’s stars involved and the touches should be there for him to go over. Bet Malone to go over 3.5 points at -102 on FanDuel.

Picks: Maryland Whipsnakes Moneyline, TJ Malone Over 3.5 Points

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