NLL Power Rankings: The Race for the East's Top Seed is On

Two more teams have locked in spots in the upcoming National Lacrosse League playoffs, while two others must turn their attention to the offseason and 2023-24. The West postseason squads are now set, while ambiguity remains in the East.

1. TORONTO ROCK (13-4)

The Rock control their own destiny when it comes to the No. 1 seed in the East after a 12-7 win against Philadelphia. Win the season-closing matchup with Buffalo, and the road to the NLL Finals goes through Hamilton. Tom Schreiber had eight points, pushing his season total to 112. He sits two points away from the franchise record. Last week: 1

2. BUFFALO BANDITS (12-4)

Josh Byrne celebrated his 29th birthday in style, scoring the overtime winner to lift Buffalo to an 11-10 victory against New York. The Bandits needed a pair of late goals to get that far after Mike Burke put the Riptide up 10-8 with just under seven minutes remaining, and they got them from their leaders in Dhane Smith and Byrne. Smith notched a point on every single Bandits goal. Last week: 3

3. SAN DIEGO SEALS (12-4)

The Seals went on a 5-0 run stretching from the third quarter into the fourth to take a 14-13 lead on Colorado with nine minutes and change remaining but could not hold on in a 15-14 defeat. That result in a highly physical game between the conference rivals could prove costly, as Calgary sits just a game back in the loss column for first place.  Last week: 2

4. CALGARY ROUGHNECKS (12-5)

The Riggers avenged a loss to Las Vegas earlier in the season, getting seven points from Jesse King and six from Tanner Cook in a 12-7 triumph. Calgary tied a franchise record with its 12th win of the season, showcasing the tremendous revamp the front office has orchestrated. Few expected this level of success following the departures of Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson. Last week: 4

5. COLORADO MAMMOTH (9-7)

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but the Mammoth will have the opportunity to defend their title this spring. Colorado upended the Seals in the Loud House, with Eli McLaughlin scoring the game’s final two goals in a comeback effort, to clinch a spot in the postseason. The group has won three straight and sits a game back of PCLC in the win column for third place in the West. Last week: 5

6. PANTHER CITY LACROSSE CLUB (10-7)

Welcome to the rodeo, Panther City. After an admirable run to end last season, PCLC secured its first playoff berth with a 9-8 win against Vancouver. Panther City outscored their foe 4-1 in the fourth quarter, getting the winner from Josh Medeiros with just over a minute remaining. Last week: 6

7. GEORGIA SWARM (8-8)

The Swarm stormed all the way back to an even record with an eighth win in nine outings, stomping Albany 15-6 backed by four players with seven or more points. Andrew Kew led the way with nine, continuing a hot streak of 26 points in his last three games, while Shayne Jackson had eight. Ryan Lanchbury and Brendan Bomberry each added seven as Georgia secured a sixth straight season of .500 or better. Last week: 7

8. HALIFAX THUNDERBIRDS (8-8)

The T-Birds rebounded from a 10-goal defeat to Georgia with a 15-11 win against the Rush, powered by nine points from Randy Staats. The Halifax offense was humming in the fourth quarter, netting nine goals to erase a 9-6 Saskatchewan advantage. Five of Staats’ points came during that period alone. Last week: 9

9. ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS (9-7)

The K-Hawks had the weekend off and return on Saturday for a critical matchup with Georgia. Last week: 10

10. PHILADELPHIA WINGS (7-9)

The Wings are still alive but have an uphill battle sitting a game back of both Halifax and Georgia. Philadelphia got five goals from Mitch Jones and four assists from Joe Resetarits, but no one else had more than two points against Toronto. Last week: 8

11. SASKATCHEWAN RUSH (6-10)

After a promising start to the season which saw the Rush win two of its first three games against playoff-bound teams, the wheels came off with a 1-7 run that has eliminated Saskatchewan from postseason contention. This marks the first time the franchise has missed out on the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since moving from Edmonton. Last week: 11

12. LAS VEGAS DESERT DOGS (5-11)

The Desert Dogs joined the Rush in moving to the realm of the eliminated, leaving San Diego as the only expansion team to make the postseason in its first season in this recent wave of NLL growth. Now the team turns its attention to the draft, where it will likely need to trade up if it hopes to land Dyson Williams, coach Shawn Williams’ son. Last week: 12

13. NEW YORK RIPTIDE (4-12)

The Riptide never trailed after the second quarter until Buffalo got the game winner in overtime, a moral victory for a team now playing for pride. The most intriguing aspect of New York’s season at this point is Jeff Teat’s chase for the league’s single-season points record. Now with 121 points, he’s on pace to finish one behind Dhane Smith’s mark of 137. Last week: 13

14. VANCOUVER WARRIORS (4-13)

The Warriors got four goals from Shawn Evans, including one on a stellar no-look, behind-the-back move. Vancouver wraps up a season to forget with a game against New York on April 29. Last week: 15

15. ALBANY FIREWOLVES (3-13)

The FireWolves’ change of fortunes ended abruptly, falling back to earth with a lopsided loss to Georgia. The team appears headed for an offensive makeover after recording single-digit goals for a seventh time this season. Albany trailed by 11 twice in its latest outing. Last week: 14