The Buffalo Bandits are set to face the Saskatchewan Rush again on Saturday at SaskTel Centre, following a previous overtime win against the Rush on Feb. 27. The upcoming game, with a faceoff scheduled for 9 p.m. EDT, comes as the Bandits ride a four-game winning streak.
The matchup holds significance as both teams remain in contention for top positions in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) standings. The Bandits’ recent performances have strengthened their playoff prospects and showcased their ability to prevail in close games.
Head coach John Tavares held a team meeting after an earlier loss to the Vancouver Warriors and emphasized the importance of being comfortable winning low-scoring games. “I told the guys that we’re scoring eight, nine goals a game, we have a big, strong defense, we have a great goalie, we’re gonna have to be a team that wins games where we don’t score over 10 goals,” Tavares said. He added that playing conservatively and making opponents work for every goal has become part of their strategy.
In their last outing against San Diego Seals, Buffalo overcame a four-goal deficit late in the fourth quarter to secure another overtime win. Dhane Smith scored both the tying goal with less than a minute left and then netted the winner in extra time. Defenseman Mitch de Snoo collected 20 loose ball recoveries during that game—just one shy of matching Buffalo’s single-game record according to NLLstats.com.
Tavares credited his veteran squad’s resilience: “That’s the benefit of having a veteran group is the guys know that game’s not over until that final sound goes… Not once on the bench were guys being negative.”
Smith and Josh Byrne continue to lead offensively; they have combined for seven of Buffalo’s eight game-winning goals this season. Smith now has 29 career game-winners according to NLLstats.com while Byrne has recorded at least seven points in each of his last four games.
Currently sitting sixth in league standings at 8-6, Buffalo trails Colorado Mammoth by one-and-a-half games for third place and is just behind Georgia Swarm and Toronto Rock who are tied for fourth at 9-5. The Rush share first place with Vancouver Warriors but have lost three out of their last four contests—including two overtime defeats.
