Sports Media Report
When the National Lacrosse League switched to its new unified standings and playoff format, the League’s hope was to have multiple teams battle for the final postseason berths the last weekend of the regular season.
Mission accomplished.
With one week to go in what has been a thrilling ride for fans down the stretch in the 2023-24 NLL regular season, five teams will be vying for the final two spots in the 2024 NLL Playoffs in the conclusion of the NLL The March to May this weekend.
The Toronto Rock (14-3) and San Diego Seals (12-5) have clinched seeds #1 and #2, and thus home floor advantage for the single-elimination quarterfinals (April 26-28) and the semifinals (May 3-5) should either team advance.
Several other teams have clinched playoff berths, but their seeds and first-round matchups are still to be determined. The Albany FireWolves (10-7), Georgia Swarm (10-7), defending champion Buffalo Bandits (10-7), and Halifax Thunderbirds (9-8) have secured postseason spots. The final two berths will be claimed by either the Panther City Lacrosse Club (9-8), Vancouver Warriors (8-9), Saskatchewan Rush (8-9), New York Riptide (8-9), or Rochester Knighthawks (6-10).
All eight games in Week 21 will feature playoff or seeding implications:
Friday, April 19:
Rochester (6-10) at Georgia (10-7), 7:30 p.m. ET
Vancouver (8-9) at San Diego (12-5), 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Saturday, April 20:
Colorado (5-12) at Halifax (9-8), 6:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. AT
Albany (10-7) at New York (8-9), 7:30 p.m. ET
Panther City (9-8) at Calgary (7-10), 9 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. MT
Toronto (14-3) at Saskatchewan (8-9), 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT
Buffalo (10-7) at Las Vegas (5-12), 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT
Sunday, April 21
Philadelphia (6-11) at Rochester (6-10), 3 p.m.ET
As previously announced, the exact dates and times of games will be determined as soon as practical before each playoff round. Teams are not re-seeded after each round, resulting in a true “bracket style” format.
The single-elimination quarterfinals will be held between Friday, April 26, and Sunday, April 28, at the home sites of the #1 through #4 seeds, hosting #8 through #5, respectively.
The best-of-three semifinals will commence on Thursday, May 2, through Sunday, May 5, and continue Thursday, May 9, through Sunday, May 12.
The best-of-three 2024 NLL Finals are scheduled for Thursday, May 16, through Sunday, May 19, and Thursday, May 23, through Sunday, May 26.
Additionally, should both semifinal series end in two games, the League may move the 2024 NLL Finals up to the preceding week.
The NLL postseason schedule, including the ESPN and TSN broadcast slate, will be released following the regular season, as referenced above.
