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The Premier Lacrosse League playoff picture is solidifying quickly.

Whipsnakes became the second team to lock up a postseason spot, Chaos and the Whips clinched top two seeds and Chrome was officially eliminated this weekend in Hamilton, Ontario.

Paul Rabil ended Chrome’s chances of a miraculous late-season playoff push when he scored the go-ahead goal with just under a minute left, and Ryan Brown fired off a 2-pointer in the closing seconds to improve Atlas’ goal differential and push the final score to 17-14.

With the victory, Atlas stayed alive in the Battle for the Crown race.

“I think we just really focused on the psychology of this weekend,” Rabil said of the team’s sense of urgency on NBC Sports Gold.

Atlas is now in the thick of the pack competing for the final two spots in the playoffs. Atlas, Archers and Redwoods all sit at 4-5, with none of the three playing each other in the final weekend of the regular season.

Archers has the biggest advantage, boasting a positive score differential of three. The other two candidates are both deeply in the negative, Redwoods at negative 13 and Atlas at negative 10.

 

Whip It Real Good

Whipsnakes put major pressure on Chaos to win next weekend and pushed Redwoods out of a playoff spot for the time being with the most one-sided victory in PLL history, a 17-4 shellacking to close out the weekend.

Matt Rambo notched seven points, moving back into the league lead, as the Whips moved out to a dominant 12-1 advantage after two quarters.

“We just played a complete game,” Rambo said on NBCSN. “I’m proud of the guys, top to bottom. … Way to bounce back from last week.”

The margin of victory makes it highly unlikely for Chaos to take the first seed if they lose and Whipsnakes win next week, considering score differential is the first tiebreaker. The Whips jumped all the way up to 15 in that category, 11 goals better than Chaos.

Mike Chanenchuk also notched five points, while Drew Snider had three.

The Woods are reeling, having lost three straight. Jules Heningburg was involved in all four of the team’s goals, the only Redwood with multiple points this week.

Chaos reigns

Josh Byrne made an immediate impact in his return from injury, scoring his second overtime game-winner of the season four minutes into the extra frame to lift Chaos over a desperate Archers squad 11-10.

Earning a top-two seed is valuable for Chaos and Whipsnakes due to the PLL playoff format. A top-two seed can lose against the other top seed and still get a chance to work its way back through the lower half of the bracket.

Byrne and Fields each had five points, as Chaos won its third game in a row. The squad escaped a precarious position late, as Kyle McClancy was called for a penalty in the final minute of regulation that stretched into OT.

Play of the Week
Connor Fields, A, Chaos

Fields continued his raid on the “SportsCenter” Top 10, throwing a behind-the-back pass to Byrne, who finished the connection off with a behind-the-back goal.

Noteworthy

Ryan Brown had five points for Atlas this week, while Rabil notched four. … The PLL’s unique playoff format was featured in an article on Fox Sports. … Archers assistant coach Tony Resch and Chaos midfielder Patrick Resch matched up against each other for the first time ever, with the son getting the advantage. … Greg Gurenlian returned from injury for Redwoods, winning 12 of 23 faceoffs. On the other hand, the Woods were without defenseman Eddy Glazener. … Fields was featured this week in the Albany Times Union.

Up Next

The regular season concludes when the PLL heads to Albany’s Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. Chaos, featuring several former Great Danes, kick off the weekend against Atlas at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday (NBC Sports Gold). Sunday features a doubleheader, starting with Chrome and Redwoods at 1:30 p.m. (NBC Sports Gold) before concluding with Whipsnakes and Archers at 3:30 p.m. (NBCSN).