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The Toronto Rock have shown versatility this season. It has the ability to win from the front or come from behind. It has shown it can handle high-scoring shootouts or low-scoring defensive battles.
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But now facing elimination from the National Lacrosse League playoffs, the Rock will have to again find the necessary formula to beat the Buffalo Bandits in game two of its best-of-three East Final at FirstOntario Centre on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Toronto trails in the series after an emotional 18-17 loss to the Bandits last Sunday. The Rock may have been pleased with the season-high goal output but the focus is clearly on containing the most explosive offence in the NLL.
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“Offensively, we were hitting our shots. Defensively that’s not the number we want,” defender Brad Kri said. “But we’ve taken some positives out of it and we’re moving on to Saturday.”
The Rock did hold Buffalo to 10 and seven goals respectively in two regular-season wins. But after giving up an 11-point night to Josh Byrne and 10 points to Dhane Smith, Toronto’s defence needs to be a lot more active, limiting the opportunities Buffalo had in front of the net. Conversely, Toronto was successful offensively with its outside shooting on Bandits’ goaltender Matt Vinc but needs to work its way to the crease more.
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“We need to draw from the experience of what we’ve done to this point,” Rock head coach Matt Sawyer said “We’re going to be playing in our 21st game and we’ve been in a lot of different situations.”
“We’ve shown we can handle these situations and play whatever game is in front of us. We’re a confident group regardless of who we’re playing. Our focus is going to be at our best in all three areas of the game.”
A Rock win will force a deciding game at KeyBank Center on May 28.
SHOOTING HITS HOME: Several Bandits players joined members of the Sabres and Bills in assisting people in Buffalo’s East Side on Wednesday. For Smith, a former league MVP and the NLL’s leading scorer this season, the racism-fuelled attack on a supermarket last Saturday caused him to reflect on his experience as an African-American, and one of the few in professional lacrosse.
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“It really hit home for me, being in Buffalo,” Smith told Bandits.com. “Being a black athlete, especially in a primarily white sport, it’s tough.”
“I feel bad for the next generation, for those kids that are growing up and not understanding why they’re getting treated differently. When I do have kids, I don’t want them to go through what I’m going through.”
Smith is donating $50 per Bandits’ goal on Saturday and auctioning off game-used equipment to help the families of the victims.
OUT WEST: The Colorado Mammoth will have a chance to punch its ticket to the NLL final with a win over the San Diego Seals later Saturday night in Denver. A Seals win will force a deciding game in Southern California.
