The Buffalo Bandits begin their postseason run Saturday night against the Georgia Swarm in the National Lacrosse League Cup quarterfinals, with face-off set for 7:30 p.m. The Bandits are chasing an unprecedented fourth consecutive NLL championship.
Western New York fans can watch on The CW23 WNLO-TV, while Canadian viewers can see the game on TSN. The matchup also will stream live on + in the United States and TSN+ in Canada, with replays available through NLL+.
Dhane Smith, listed as a forward, and goalie Matt Vinc are among the players expected to anchor a roster built for another long run. This is the third season WNLO and WIVB Channel 4 have served as the local television home of the Bandits, a pairing that has made their games easier to follow across the region.
The Bandits reached the playoffs after a regular season that swung from rough patches to late momentum. They lost 9-8 in overtime to the Halifax Thunderbirds on Dec. 13, beat the Calgary Roughnecks 13-7 on Dec. 28, defeated the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 15-13 on Jan. 3 and then dropped four of the next five, including a 20-9 loss at the Colorado Mammoth on Jan. 31 and a 13-11 defeat to the Philadelphia Wings on Feb. 7. They steadied themselves with an 11-10 win at Halifax on Feb. 14, fell 11-9 at the Vancouver Warriors on Feb. 20 and closed by beating the Saskatchewan Rush 11-10 on Feb. 27.
That uneven stretch makes Saturday night more than a routine opener. The Bandits have the pedigree of a dynasty, but the road back to another title starts with one playoff game and a team that has already shown it can make them work for every inch.
