Sports Media Report
With one weekend of regular season play to go, several National Lacrosse League (NLL) matchups have critical playoff impact. Georgia (9-8), Albany (8-9) and Philadelphia (8-9) can still claim the final two spots, while Colorado (10-7), San Diego (9-8) and Calgary (9-8), which have already clinched the three West Conference slots, are vying for the West Conference regular season title and home playoff games in their respective contests this Saturday, April 30. The NLL playoffs begin with Quarterfinal action Friday, May 6.
Under the new expanded “Chase for the Championship” playoff format announced this season, the top four teams in the East, top three teams in the West and one wild card team with the next best record qualify.
In the East, Buffalo (14-3) is the Conference Champion and will have home floor advantage throughout the playoffs, beginning with its announced May 7 Quarterfinal. Toronto (12-5) has clinched a playoff berth and quarterfinal home game set for May 6, and Halifax (10-7) has secured a playoff spot. The breakdown for the contending East clubs is as follows:
Georgia:
- Can clinch an East Conference playoff berth with a win vs. Philadelphia (Sat., 7 p.m. ET)
- Can clinch a Wildcard playoff berth with a loss vs. Philadelphia AND Albany loss vs. New York (Sat., 7 p.m. ET)
- Can be eliminated from playoff consideration with a loss vs. Philadelphia AND Albany win vs. New York
Albany:
- Can clinch an East Conference playoff berth with a win vs. New York AND Georgia loss vs. Philadelphia
- Can clinch a Wildcard playoff berth with a Philadelphia loss at Georgia
- Can be eliminated from playoff consideration with a loss vs. New York AND Philadelphia win at Georgia
Philadelphia:
- Can clinch an East Conference playoff berth with a win at Georgia AND Albany loss vs. New York
- Can clinch a Wildcard playoff berth with a win at Georgia AND Albany win vs. New York
- Can be eliminated from playoff consideration with a loss at Georgia
In the West, the three playoff teams will determine their respective slots as follows:
Colorado:
- Can clinch the West Conference regular season title with a win at Calgary (Sat., 9 p.m. ET, TSN Sports Interaction Game of the Week)
- Can clinch a Quarterfinal home game with a San Diego loss at Vancouver (Sat., 10 p.m. ET)
San Diego:
- Can clinch the West Conference regular season title with a win at Vancouver AND Colorado loss at Calgary
- Can clinch a Quarterfinal home game with a win at Vancouver, OR Calgary loss vs. Colorado
Calgary:
- Can clinch the West Conference regular season title with a Win vs. Colorado AND San Diego loss at Vancouver
- Can clinch a Quarterfinal home game with a win vs. Colorado
For the full standings, visit https://www.nll.com/standings/. The playoff schedule is as follows:
- Quarterfinals, May 5-9, Single-elimination
- Conference Finals, May 12-16, May 19-23, May 26-30 (if necessary) Best-of-three
- NLL Finals, June 2-6, June 9-13, June 16-20 (if necessary) Best-of-three
Media partners ESPN and TSN will broadcast every playoff game. TSN and ESPN broadcast schedules for the quarterfinal round will be announced after the pairings are set. Follow along at NLL.com for clinching scenarios as they develop.
