The Premier Lacrosse League heads to Philadelphia for Week 3 and East Coast rivals face off to open the weekend. The hometown Philadelphia Waterdogs are slight favorites against the Boston Cannons and the total is 26.5 at almost every sportsbook. Let’s take a look at my three best bets for this rivalry game.
Philadelphia Waterdogs vs Boston Cannons
| Philadelphia (-1.5) | Moneyline (-120) |
| Boston (+1.5) | Moneyline (-120) |
| Total | 26.5 |
| Time | Saturday · 12:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ABC |
Odds via bet365
The two rivals face off in the first game of the weekend and I expect some fireworks in Philly. I’m not entirely sold on Boston's defense just yet, despite showing improvement after Week 1. There were still far too many defensive breakdowns last week against a Maryland team that has struggled to initiate from the midfield. Philadelphia will be even more equipped to take advantage of those types of collapses.
As for Philly, it will be without starter Chris Sabia this week. While the defense is deep enough to handle his absence, it still struggled against Utah, who attacked and won plenty of its one-on-one matchups in Week 1. Boston’s offense will be more driven by ball movement, but if players like Asher Nolting and Matt Kavanagh are able to draw slides, the Cannons should find success.
Last season, the Waterdogs and Cannons ranked first and second in fast break efficiency and shooting percentage. In 2023, Philadelphia shot 40.5% and converted on 36.2% of transition chances, while Boston shot 38.5% and scored on 35.7% of fast break opportunities. Defensively, both teams ranked middle-of-the-pack in defending transition.
Additionally, in both games that these teams played each other last season, the faceoff was a chess match in terms of employing the “concede and defend strategy.” There was a lot of time wasted with each team trying to force the other to run their offense on a short shot clock.
This time around, we’ll likely see Boston faceoff specialist Zac Tucci actually attempt to win each draw. Tucci has the ability to generate transition much like Mike Sisselberger did against Philly in Week 1. Even if the Waterdogs force Cannons into these short shot clock scenarios, Boston is more than equipped to run its offense with short time.
Finally, there’s a chance both teams get plenty of man-up chances on Saturday. These teams don’t like each other and it wouldn’t surprise me to see a higher number of penalties in this one. Considering these two offenses, more power plays should only help push this game over the total.
Bet this game to go over 25.5 at -113 on BetRivers.
I also recommend betting Michael Sowers to surpass 3.5 points on Saturday. Sowers has had four or more points in half of his games since 2023 and has thrived against the Cannons. In 2023, he recorded six and five points in each of the matchups and even had four points against the Cannons in 2022 for what it’s worth.
While Boston added defenders Bryce Young and Garrett Epple this offseason to bolster this defense, I don’t expect either to be able to match Sowers’ speed and think he’ll be relied on heavily to generate offense for Philly. Sowers should factor heavily in this meeting. Bet Sowers to go over 3.5 points at -125 on bet365.
While I like this game to go over, I am betting Boston midfielder Matt Campbell to stay under his points prop of 3.5 on bet365. Campbell has two-point range, but has only recorded more than three points once in 14 career games. His line is 2.5 on other sportsbooks, so 3.5 is a great line to bet him to stay under at +110.
Picks: Over 25.5, Michael Sowers Over 3.5 Points, Matt Campbell Under 3.5 Points
