Here we go again…..NLL previews!

After a good week where I went 2-0, let’s see how this week’s matchups go.  I will, as always, be doing these previews with Jim Flannery who will break down two games.  For comparison, Jim went 0-2 last week, sorry buddy!

Here are Jim’s picks….

Edmonton Rush (1-2) v. Minnesota Swarm (1-2)

Friday night's action opens with a game between a couple 1-2 teams who are both coming off tough losses last weekend.

The Rush stayed with undefeated Colorado for three quarters before the Mammoth finally broke things open in the fourth, winning 11-7. Edmonton will be looking to refocus and play a full 60 minutes in Minnesota.

Aaron Bold has been strong in net for the Rush, posting a very good 9.67 goals against average thus far. Edmonton will be counting on him to continue to be a wall for them between the pipes.

The Rush offense has been paced by Shawn Williams, who has 16 points on the year, and Zack Greer who is leading the team with seven goals. They will be looking to score early and often against the Swarm defense, which has been shaky in their first three games—giving up a league worst 15.67 goals per game. 

Goalies Tyler Carlson and Nick Patterson have not been getting it done for the Swarm so far, with a combined save percentage of .695. It might not be entirely their fault however, with the Swarm, averaging a league worst 19 forced turnovers per game. The defense needs to tighten up and force opposing teams to take lower percentage shots.

The good news is that Minnesota's offense has been very good, scoring as many goals so far as the defense has given up. Capitalizing on special teams work, the Swarm has been scoring five goals per game on the power play and is also leading the league in shorthanded goals with five.

Last year's scoring champ, Ryan Benesch, is once again leading the team in goals, with 10, while Callum Crawford is right behind him with seven goals and a team high 16 points. Rookie Jordan MacIntosh is third on the team in scoring and leading the team in loose balls, so the Swarm have some real upside offensively.

I expect a Minnesota win at home, 14-12, before hosting Rochester on Sunday.

Calgary Roughnecks (2-2) vs. Washington Stealth (1-3)

In the second Friday night tilt, the Calgary Roughnecks are visiting the Washington Stealth. 

The Stealth are breathing a sigh of relief after earning their first win of the season last week. Meanwhile, the Roughnecks are trying to regroup after back-to-back overtime losses.

The Roughnecks are coming off a bye week, so they should be rested and healthy, although the status of forward Dane Dobbie is currently unknown (he missed most of the second half of their last game with an unspecified injury). Assuming he's healthy, the Riggers once again have six or seven different options on offense who are all capable of big nights.

Curtis Dickson and Jeff Shattler are currently tied for the team lead in scoring, with 17 points each. 

Geoff Snider is once again asserting his presence, leading the league in faceoff wins (82) and loose balls (59). On that blistering pace, he would set a new record for most faceoffs won in a single NLL season, and finish with the third most loose balls in a season. 

Mike Poulin has been solid in the net for Calgary, earning 11.14 goals against average, but he and the defense need to come up big late in the game if they hope to break the losing streak.

Washington, back home after a big win in Buffalo, will be looking to even the season series with Calgary. Their one-two punch of Rhys Duch (20 points) and Lewis Ratcliff (15 points) are back on track after a bit of a slow start. They have not been getting much help, however, as evidenced by goalie Tyler Richards being sixth on the team in scoring right now, with four points.

Richards has done a decent job in the net so far, posting a .757 save percentage, but the Stealth need to reduce the number of shots allowed to lower their goals against average, currently sitting at a sub-par 12.04.

Bob Snider is following in big brother Geoff's footsteps as he is also leading his team in faceoff wins (61) and loose balls (45). Geoff won the battle in their first matchup, winning 17 faceoffs to Bob's 10 and collecting 17 loose balls to Bob's seven. This matchup may have a significant impact on the game's final score.

I think Washington may have turned the corner last weekend and I'm looking for them to best Calgary in another close one. Call it 12-11 Stealth.

And now we move on to my picks.

Rochester Knighthawks (2-3) vs. Minnesota Swarm (1-2)

This game between some east and west division teams will take place on Sunday February 12^th at 3pm in Minnesota.

This will be a rematch from the Week 5 matchup with these two teams.  The Knighthawks had a comeback victory 16-14 against the Swarm.

The Swarm will be playing back to back games this week with the first being against the Edmonton Rush.  The Swarm will play both of their games this week at home.  The Swarm will need to keep up their intensity after playing the strong defensive team in the Rush.

The duo of Ryan Beneach and Callum Crawford will look to keep up stellar offensive play against the netminder for the Knighthawks in Matt Vinc. Matt Vinc has put up a 12.56 goals against average (GAA %). 

The Swarm’s defense will have to stop Cody Jamieson, who has 36 points in five games this season.  Jamieson performance has him a 2^nd overall only nine points behind John Grant Jr. of Colorado. 

Stopping Jamieson is the key if the Swarm expects to pull off a victory. 

The Knighthawks, like a lot of teams in the East are hard to figure out.  One week they put up 22 goals and the next they are coming out flat.  Look for a refreshed Knighthawks squad to come out hungry.

I look for the Knighthawks to pull off a defensive victory 9-7 in Minnesota.

Buffalo Bandits (2-3) vs. Philadelphia Wings (2-2)

The final game of the week will be the Bandits vs. the Wings on Sunday February 12^th at 4pm in Philadelphia.

These two teams are two of the most surprising teams of the NLL this season. 

The Buffalo Bandits are on a three game losing streak and are fading fast.  The Wings have a roster full of superstars, but have only put up 6 goals last week against Toronto.

The Bandits will need to turn this ship around if they want to make good seeding in the playoffs.  The Bandits are probably safe because only one team misses the playoffs in the NLL, and that team looks like the Washington Stealth.  The Bandits may bury themselves early on with a low seed.

The Bandits goalie Mike Thompson has a decent 11.36 GAA%.  The Bandits also sport the No.4 and No.5 goal scores in the league with Luke Wiles and John Tavares respectively.

The Wings sport the No.3 best loose ball player in the league with Brodie Merrill.  The Wings are also led in the point department by Dan Dawson who has 21 points.  These two veterans need to right the ship in Philly.

This game is the hardest pick I’ve had this year but I’ll go with an angry Bandits squad beating the Wings 12-9 in Philadelphia.

Shea Haney 6-4

Jim Flannery 3-6