The Toronto Rock and Buffalo Bandits are very familiar with each other, with 5 meetings last season and 11 total since the start of 2018-19, but this week they will be meeting under circumstances that neither team has come acquainted to, with both teams coming off a loss in their previous game.

The offense will be the focal point for both teams as they prep for their Saturday Night Showdown in Hamilton, as both teams underperformed to their expectations in the goal total in their last game, with Buffalo only managing 10 in their opening game and the Rock being held to 7 goals in Rochester this past weekend. With the shot differentials that both teams have registered so far (BUF 55-38 against ALB and TOR 123-104 in their two games), there aren’t too many adjustments to make outside of finishing their best opportunities.

The faceoff battle will once again be at the forefront of the keys for the Bandits, as Max Adler will once again be matching up with one of the league’s elite draw-men, TD Ierlan. Toronto has won 42 of 53 faceoffs through two games (79.2%), and in a game where the two teams are so evenly matched, every extra possession counts.

This heavyweight matchup will be shown on ESPN+ and TSN.CA at 7 PM on Saturday

Week Three Schedule

Calgary @ Vancouver – Friday 10:00 PM TSN and ESPN+ – The Warriors return to Rogers Arena for their first home game of the season, taking on the Roughnecks for the second straight week, with Calgary winning said matchup 11-9.

Panther City @ Las Vegas – Friday 10:30 ESPN 2 and TSN.CA – The NLL’s newest market will be showing off its new digs at Mandalay Bay’s 12,000-seat Michelob ULTRA Arena, as the Desert Dogs look to avenge their inaugural game loss to the same Panther City Lacrosse Club last week in Fort Worth.

Rochester @ Albany – Saturday 7:00 ESPN+ and TSN.CA – Read more about this matchup here. One big change since Monday, however, is that Joe Nardella was placed on the PUP List ahead of Saturday’s matchup, allowing the Knighthawks to take advantage of the opportunity for more possessions.

Philadelphia @ Georgia – 7:00 ESPN+ and TSN.CA – It’s never a dull moment when the Wings and Swarm get together, as all three of last season’s games went to overtime. The Wings won all three as part of their 5-0 overtime record in 2021-22. Both teams are coming in looking to avenge disappointing opening performances in week 1.

Halifax @ New York – 7:30 ESPN+ and TSN.CA – Depending on where you are in the market, this game could appear on one of MSG or MSG+ with the Riptide broadcasting locally (Typically in Buffalo/Rochester this ends up being MSG+). This game will be the best bet for people that want to see as much offense as possible.

Colorado @ Panther City – 8:00 ESPN+ and TSN.CA – On one hand, the front office will be very content that Panther City will not be able to enjoy the Vegas strip on Friday night. However, it comes at the cost of having to travel back to Fort Worth for a back-to-back against the defending champs who will be on two weeks of rest coming off of a Week 2 bye week.

Photo Credit: Christian Bender/NLL