By the Numbers: Bandits Offence Slowing Down

We’ve got 4 weeks left in the 2024-25 National Lacrosse League Season. Keep that in mind when you’re reading through this week’s edition of By The Numbers. We’re at that point of the season where wins mean so much more, and so, too, do the stats (well, that’s my NLL nugget-loving opinion). 

For the nuggets this week, I dove into each of the five games to find something from each contest. Hope you enjoy!

10.8 – Buffalo Bandits Goals/Game Last Five Games

In my opinion, the Buffalo Bandits are still the frontrunners in winning this year’s NLL Cup. However, they have been less dominant over their last five games than their first nine games.

The Bandits started this season averaging an astonishing 15 goals per game over their first nine games of the season. The offence looked unstoppable. Since March 1st, those numbers have dropped considerably. Over their last five games, they’ve averaged only 10.8 goals per game – that’s shaving more than 4 goals per game off their previous average.

Nick Rose, Frank Scigliano, and Doug Jamieson are key reasons why the Bandits’ goals/game decreased so much. Rose held the Bandits to 11 goals twice (March 8th and March 15th), Jamieson held them to 10 goals on March 22nd, and Scigliano held Buffalo to 9 goals back on March 1st. Scigliano’s effort was so rare, in fact, that this was the first time since December 29th, 2023, that the Bandits had been held under 10 goals in a single game. 

As the Bandits try and hold on to the #1 seed for the playoffs, they’ll need to start scoring more goals again. The Bandits are 3-2 over their last five games compared to 8-1 through their first nine.

8 – Potential Losing Streak Of Philadelphia Wings If They Lose In Week 18

The Philadelphia Wings are in a rough spot. 

After their Week 17 15-8 loss to the Toronto Rock, the Wings extended their losing streak to seven games. This made franchise history. Seven games is the longest losing streak in Philadelphia Wings history (this includes both this current Wings franchise and the original Wings from 1987-2014). 

Things can get worse this weekend if they can’t beat the Ottawa Black Bears. Not only would this extend their historic losing streak to 8 games, but it would also mark the 27th time in NLL history that any team has lost 8 games in a row – shoutout to Graeme Perrow of NLLStats.com for the assist on this nugget. Considering that the NLL has been around for 38 years, something happening 27 times is not a lot.

Sitting at 5-9 coming into Week 18, another loss would inch the Wings closer to mathematically being eliminated from playoff contention.

4 – # Of 10 Win Seasons For Halifax Thunderbirds When They Win Their Next Game

The Thunderbirds have been a very reliable regular season team since they moved to Halifax from Rochester ahead of the 2019-20 COVID-shortened season.

Over the team’s first 4 seasons, they have finished with a win percentage of 0.556 or better. Through 14 games this season, they are 9-5 and on pace for a 12-6 record, which would be their best in a single season since their move and brand change from the [original] Rochester Knighthawks. 

Officially, a win in Week 18 against the Georgia Swarm in Georgia would mark the Thunderbirds 4th 10+ win season in five seasons and their 4th consecutive 10+ win season. It would have been the 5th time, but the COVID season made that impossible. During the 2019-20 season, the Thunderbirds were 8-4 before the stoppage of play. 

For perspective, the only teams to have a winning record for each of the last five seasons are the Buffalo Bandits and Toronto Rock. However, in that five-season span, the Thunderbirds have not only not won a championship, they have not even made it to the NLL Finals. Could this be the year that that changes?

26/20/46 – # Of Goals/Assists/Points Jeff Teat Has In Last 6 Games

The Ottawa Black Bears’ Jeff Teat has been doing his best Jeff Teat impression over the last 6 games. 

Over the last 6 games, Teat has combined to tally 26 goals and 20 assists for 46 points. That’s 4.3 goals per game, 3.3 assists per game, and 7.6 points per game. Those are beastly numbers from one of the greatest lacrosse players on the plant. Unfortunately for Teat and the Black Bears, his singular production has not done enough to affect the team’s win/loss record in that span – the Black Bears are 1-4.

Putting that aside, It is better for the Black Bears and better for the NLL when Jeff Teat is balling out. Teat is one of the prominent faces of the league, and that’s how it’s going to be for a long time. If he’s playing well, he’ll help sell tickets in his team’s home market of Ottawa, as well as any game Teat is playing on the road. 

During Teat’s first 9 games of this season, he posted a total of 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points. That’s 1.4 goals per game, 2.9 assists per game, and 4.3 points per game. That means Teat is averaging almost twice as many points during his hot 5-game stretch than he did in his first 9 games of the season.

Bottom line: We need more of the Jeff Teat that we’ve seen over the last 5 games. Teat and the Black Bears face the Philadelphia Wings this weekend in Philadelphia. For those wondering, Teat has averaged 1.8 goals per game, 5 assists, and 6.8 points per game against the Wings in his career. That should be encouraging for Jeff Teat fans to read coming into this weekend.

1,897 – Days Since Colorado Mammoth Last Won In Saskatchewan

The Colorado Mammoth almost never win in Saskatoon when they face the Rush. Seriously, it’s only happened once over the last 9 years these two clubs battled, and the last time it happened was a while ago.

Over the last 13 times these teams have faced each other in regular season play in Saskatoon, the Mammoth are 1-12. They Mammoth are currently on a five-game losing streak against the Rush in Saskatoon, although two of those losses came in overtime. 

If you want to find the last time the Mammoth won a road game versus the Rush, you have to go all the way back to January 18th, 2020. That was a very different Rush team the Mammoth were facing back then. 

Oddly enough, the Rush squad for that game had rookie Connor Robinson on it. Among the other changes, they also had Jeff Shattler, who is now retired, Mark Matthews, who is now on the Toronto Rock, Ben McIntosh, who is now on the San Diego Seals, and Evan Kirk, who is now retired. There have been other notable changes to the roster, but this list would go on for too long. 

Both the Mammoth (8-6) and Rush (10-4) have both looked very good this season. These franchises are very familiar with each other, so this should be a fierce battle between rivals who are both trying to prove that they are NLL Cup contenders this season. I expect we will see the best from both sides this weekend.