MATT VOLZ

Editor in Chief

After back-to-back come-from-behind thrillers on the road, the Bandits are back at home tonight in search of their sixth straight win.

Two weeks ago in San Diego, Buffalo mustered just three goals across the first 50 minutes of play.

They scored five in the final nine minutes and six seconds, including two with under 1:30 left, to force overtime.

In overtime, Dhane Smith was the hero, capping off an unlikely comeback to keep the team’s win streak alive.

Last Saturday in Saskatchewan, the first three quarters played out in a very similar way.

Frank Scigliano was a brick wall in net for the Rush, holding the Bandits to just four goals until halfway through the fourth quarter.

As was the case in San Diego, the Bandits struggled with lengthy goal droughts.

Buffalo had two separate stretches of over 15 minutes played without scoring.

Fortunately for them, Matt Vinc was also stonewalling Saskatchewan’s offense.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Rush had only scored five goals and led by just one.

They also hadn’t scored since the second quarter, a goal drought that ended up surpassing 21 minutes of game time.

A double-minor penalty to Paul Dawson gave the Rush an opportunity, and they took full advantage with goals from Austin Shanks and Robert Church.

The Bandits responded quickly, though, with two quick goals from Kyle Buchanan and Smith.

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the game was close, as it almost always is between the Bandits and Rush.

Aside from Game 3 of last year’s NLL Finals where Buffalo shut out Saskatchewan in the second half, every game between these two teams since before the pandemic has been decided by two goals or less.

That was the case again last week, as both goalies played at the top of their game.

With just over two minutes left, Dylan Robinson found Josh Byrne in transition, and he ripped a shot past Scigliano to tie the game for the first time since the first quarter.

It seemed destined for overtime, but Buffalo’s hometown hero had other plans.

Hamburg native Joe Resetarits hasn’t been an offensive star for Buffalo since being traded from Philadelphia earlier this season, but he picked an excellent time to bury a shot.

With 46 seconds remaining, Resetarits put Buffalo in front for the first time since the game’s first few minutes.

Despite a game in which the Bandits offense again struggled to score, they somehow came away with another comeback win.

Buffalo has won five in a row and six of their last seven entering tonight’s game against Vancouver.

For the second time in as many weeks, the Bandits will face the team in first place in the NLL.

It’s impossible to talk about Vancouver without mentioning their two star players, Keegan Bal and Christian Del Bianco.

Bal is Vancouver’s unquestioned offensive leader, and he’s taken that to an entirely new level in 2026.

Bal leads the league in assists and points, with 71 and 107 respectively.

He’s already surpassed his personal best in single-season assists, and he’s on pace to crush his points record.

That’s pretty impressive for a guy who recorded 69 assists and 112 points last season.

Vancouver has also had the benefit of excellent goaltending this season, with Del Bianco slamming the door on opposing offenses every week.

Del Bianco is stopping nearly 82% of the shots he’s facing, and he’s allowing just over 9 goals per game.

Both of those marks put him second in the league, behind only Brett Dobson’s MVP-caliber season he’s putting together in Georgia.

If the Bandits want a chance at coming away with a win tonight, they’ll need to limit Bal’s offense and pepper Del Bianco with shots.

But even if Buffalo succeeds at both of those tasks, they’ll need to be aware of Vancouver’s other forwards.

Curtis Dickson has sniped 38 goals this season, a mark that leads the team and ties him for fourth in the league.

The Warriors also have Jesse King and Adam Charalambides, who aren’t household names but can still pack an offensive punch.

Fortunately for Buffalo, they’ll be in front of a raucous Banditland crowd who might see two Buffalo teams lock up a playoff spot on the same day.

As I write this, the New York Rangers have defeated the Detroit Red Wings, clinching a playoff spot for the Sabres.

It’s the first time in 15 years that the Sabres have made the playoffs, ending the NHL’s longest-ever playoff drought.

KeyBank Center will be rocking with playoff hockey this spring, and it’s been a long time coming for Buffalo fans.

Tonight also provides the Bandits with an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot of their own, but they’ll need some help on the out-of-town scoreboard.

If the Bandits beat Vancouver and Rochester loses to Halifax, the Bandits will lock up a playoff spot for the sixth straight season and the 27th time in the team’s 34-year history.

There’s a lot of work left to be done if the Bandits want to earn themselves a home game in the first round, but they’re right in the mix for it.

Buffalo currently sits in fifth place in the NLL, and the top four teams earn home games to start the postseason.

But they’re only two games back of the Warriors for first place, and they can shrink that gap tonight.

This is undoubtedly the toughest test Buffalo will face in the rest of the regular season, as their last two games are against teams who are not currently in playoff spots.

It’ll probably be a low-scoring game, but the Bandits are on enough of a roll that they can get the job done tonight.

Downtown Buffalo will be rocking tonight, and when that’s the case, the Bandits usually come out on top.

Matt’s pick: Buffalo 9, Vancouver 8

Fans in the Buffalo market can catch tonight’s game on the CW23 or listen live on WBEN 930 AM.

The game will also be viewable on ESPN+.

Faceoff for tonight’s game is set for 7 p.m.

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Stats for this story were provided by nllstats.com, a league-wide database run by NLL writer Graeme Perrow.

Check out his commentary on nllchatter.com as well as his updates on X (@GraemePerrow).