If there wasn’t a perfect way to end the NLL Eastern Division season this year, we saw the results Saturday night. If Rochester beats New England, part of the East is settled. If Buffalo beat Toronto, we would at least know that one team was out. It had all been set up perfectly! Instead we saw the perfect storm, with New England beating Rochester (11-6) and Toronto beating Buffalo (16-11).
So here’s how the East breaks down now, going into the last week of the season with nobody clinching a playoff berth and nobody eliminated from the race:
1. Georgia 9-7
2. New England 9-8
3. Rochester 9-8
4. Toronto 8-9
5. Buffalo 8-9
There are four games involving East teams next week:
- Vancouver vs. Georgia – Saturday 7:05pm ET
- Rochester vs. Buffalo – Saturday 7:30pm ET
- Toronto vs. Colorado – Saturday 9:00pm ET
- Georgia vs. New England – Sunday 5:00pm ET
Eastern Division Craziness
Now with all of the possible results in the Eastern Division, it will leave you scrambling for the tiebreakers. Here’s the simplicity of it all:
If it’s a 2-way tie:
- 1st tiebreak – head to head record
- 2nd tiebreak – divisional record
If it’s a 3-way or 4-way tie (yes 4-way ties are possible):
- head to head record against all of the teams in the tiebreak
Luckily we don’t have to go further than that to decide things. So to simplify it for you, here’s the basics for each team. If you want the map of every possibility, follow this link.
New England Black Wolves
- With a win vs. Georgia, New England wins the division
- With a loss vs. Georgia & a Colorado win over Toronto, New England finishes 3rd in the division.
- A loss combined with a Colorado loss, and New England is eliminated.
Georgia Swarm
Simple stuff first:
- With two wins next week, Georgia wins the East.
- Georgia also wins the East with a win vs. New England & Buffalo beating Rochester
- The only way Georgia doesn’t make the playoffs is if they lose both games next week & both
Colorado & Buffalo win.
More complicated:
- A win vs. Vancouver, a loss to New England & a Buffalo win puts Georgia in 2nd place.
- There are other possible scenarios, although unlikely, if Georgia loses to Vancouver that still put them in 2nd place.
Rochester Knighthawks
Simple Stuff:
- If Georgia beats Vancouver on Saturday, the scenario is very easy for Rochester:
- Win against Buffalo & they finish in 2nd place
- Lose against Buffalo & they’re eliminated.
- Rochester is eliminated regardless if they lose & Georgia wins either remaining game.
- Rochester is in 2nd place with a win & a New England win.
The more complex scenarios for Rochester:
- If Rochester were to lose to Buffalo & Georgia loses twice, Rochester is in.
- The only way for Rochester to get 1st place in the East is to win and have Georgia lose to
Vancouver, but beat New England.
Toronto Rock
- If Toronto loses to Colorado, they are eliminated.
- With a win, Toronto needs some help to get into the playoffs:
- A Toronto win & a Georgia win over New England, Toronto is in.
- A Toronto win & Georgia beating Vancouver & Buffalo beating Rochester, Toronto is in
- With the combination of Toronto winning, Georgia winning twice & a Buffalo win, Toronto finishes 2nd.
Buffalo Bandits
- Buffalo needs a win & either a New England or Toronto loss to make the playoffs.
- If Buffalo wins & both Toronto & New England lose, Buffalo finishes 2nd.
In all scenarios, neither Buffalo nor Toronto can win the Eastern Division.
So let us sit back, enjoy the ride, and see who wins the final battles of the regular season!
