(Photo Credit: Getty Images for NLL)

All games will be on ESPN+ and TSN+ in addition to other mentioned listings. The first round is single elimination.

(8) Rochester Knighthawks @ (1) Toronto Rock – Saturday April 27, 4:30 PM, TSN

Toronto defeated Rochester 13-6 on April 13 in their lone meeting of the season. The Rock and [old] Knighthawks have played a total of 10 playoff games all time, with Toronto taking 6 of them including The Mini Game in 2015.

While that lone meeting of the season was certainly fully controlled by Toronto, the Knighthawks gave just enough of a sliver of hope in the second half of that game and the two this past weekend to think that maybe, just maybe, the matchup could be closer this time around. It’s going to be a test of the lessons they would have learned after last seasons first round blowout handed to them by the Bandits. The second time around could mean a more composed Rylan Hartley, an offense that knows how to adjust on the fly with the game slowing down in the playoffs, and a defense that riding the high of 3 goals allowed on Sunday, albeit against a team that isn’t coming off 15 wins.

Last season’s game in Hamilton was a 9-8 goalie showdown that could just as easily become the pace on Saturday Night. From a Rochester perspective, they need to first and foremost stay out of the box and keep their composure early on if Toronto takes early control. They were called for 7 total penalties in the first half that kept them from playing enough 5v5 to stay afloat before the game broke open to 10-1.

Of course even if everything does to the Knighthawks advantage with the flow of the game and more frequent back-and-forth opportunities, they still have the challenge of the likes of de Snoo, Kri, Rogers, Corbeil, Hostrowser, Burns, Jubenville, should I keep going? The 69 total shot attempts the Knighthawks offense ended up getting in that first meeting was right in line with the Rock’s defensive average. And then once to get a shot lane, the Nick Rose puzzle will also need to be solved. Toronto has earned its place atop the unified standings and its place as the favorites to win a championship a month from now.

For the Knighthawks to pull off the 1-8 upset and the first round 1 loss for the Rock since 2014, they’re going to need to play with extremely limited mistakes, but they do still have a coaching staff and front office that knows a thing or two about making a run with a sub-.500 record. It’s the highest spread of the weekend, but in no way is it for certain to play out that way in a one game round.

(5) Georgia Swarm @ (4) Buffalo Bandits – Saturday April 27, 7:00 PM, ESPNU

Georgia defeated Buffalo 9-8 on December 29 in Buffalo in the lone season matchup. While the Bandits haven’t faced the Swarm in the playoffs since their 2016 move to Georgia, they won both playoff games against the Swarm when they were in Minnesota back in 2006 and 2007.

After falling to 5-6 to start March, the Bandits won 6 of their final 7 games to get back exactly where they expected to be this weekend — hosting a game in round 1. The return of Adam Bomberry from injury and the addition of Paul Dawson at the trade deadline have steadied a defense that struggled with guys rotating in and out and finding their consistency and a new identity. And alongside that, Matt Vinc has also been playing his best lacrosse since returning from an upper body injury at the end of February, which lined up with those last 7 games. The offense finished the season scoring 22 more goals than they did last season as well, with back-to-back 14 goal games to finish the regular season. Only once all season have they been held to single-digit goals.

Of course, however, the Swarm were the team to hold them to 8 back at the end of December. Brett Dobson has had some sophomore slump moments this season, being pulled in three different games, but bounced back from the last of those pulls with complete games giving up 7, 9, and 11 goals, all of which had him over a save percentage of .800. He has been the key piece that has led their defense to the 5th least goals allowed.

This matchup will be the return of Playoff Lyle Thompson. The co-leader in points for the team this season had 7 points in his last playoff game back in 2019, a 16-14 loss to the Rock, and 21 points in 4 games in the Swarm’s 2017 championship run. Shayne Jackson was also a leader on that 2017 team with 22 points in that postseason, so while the team hasn’t been in this spot since before COVID, the likes of Thompson and Jackson along with Jordan MacIntosh, Bryan Cole, and John Ranagan will be ready to give the first timers the lay of the postseason land.

The X-Factor of the game will be Andrew Kew, who matched Thompson’s 87 point total in one less game. He had 2 goals and 3 assists in that first meeting with the Bandits and has compiled a list of 4 game winning goals 13 in fourth quarters. If the game remains close into the fourth, the Bandits will need to know where #42 is at all times and ensure he doesn’t have the chance to add to that clutch resume.

Last season the Bandits revealed a whole other gear when the calendar flipped to May. If they want to defend their crown, seeing that switch right out the gate would be the best first step with one of the two teams they faced in the East bracket last season waiting for the winner of this game next weekend.

(6) Halifax Thunderbirds @ (3) Albany FireWolves – Sunday April 28, 3:00 PM, ESPNU

Despite being new to the current decade, these two organizations have decades worth of playoff history going back to the Rochester and Philadelphia/New England days. The old Knighthawks defeated the Black Wolves in the first round back in 2018, and before that, the original Knighthawks and original Wings played 5 playoff games between 1995 and 2013, including the Wings winning the 1995 championship in overtime. This season, the FireWolves defeated the Thunderbirds at home 12-10 on January 6.

Albany has won four of five matchups with Halifax in the last three seasons, but the Thunderbirds will travel to Albany with the chip on their shoulder and the motivation to get over the first round hump and into the semifinals for the first time. The new season will be a very big test for the young FireWolves, who will need to turn the page quickly and not let the lights get too bright with an opponent that will punish them quickly for a slow start on both ends of the floor. Of the four lower seeds this weekend, Halifax may be the most likely to come out with a road win.

(7) Panther City @ (2) San Diego – Saturday April 27, 10:00 PM

Two newer teams to the block, this is the first playoff meeting all time between the franchises. The Seals won both matchups this season, first in Fort Worth on an Austin Staats OT winner on March 1 and then 14-10 on April 5 back in San Diego.

Injuries are the first thing to watch for in this matchup, as Jonathan Donville has unfortunately been ruled out for the playoffs with an upper body injury suffered in their regular season finale against Calgary. Trevor Baptiste missed the Seals finale as well, however most signs are pointing to him returning to the faceoff dot on Saturday. The two teams to not make it out of the first round in the West last year, both teams have internal pressure to take the next step into the semifinals, but it may even be greater for the Seals with the return of Brodie Merrill late in the season adding the element of trying to get the legend an NLL ring, while also overcoming the stunning loss to the Mammoth that ended last season.