By: Riley Pollock – 12.04.24
SETTIN’ IT UP
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
The Roughnecks are in Banditland to take on Buffalo Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. MT on TSN+.
The Riggers (7-9) basically need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. A victory over Buffalo would almost certainly set up a showdown with Panther City next weekend at the Rough House with a playoff spot on the line.
The Bandits (9-7) need to do some winning of their own to guarantee a spot in the dance. A loss this weekend would make the last week of the regular season very interesting. Buffalo has won two straight over Colorado and Philadelphia heading into this weekend’s battle.
There are plenty of milestones to reach this weekend. Jesse King needs seven-points for 100 this season, and three assists for 300 in his career. Christian Del Bianco needs three-points to pass Steve Dietrich for fourth all-time in goaltender points (94), and Tanner Cook needs three-assists for 100 in his career just to name a few.
This is the only matchup between these two this regular season. It’s the first meeting since Dec. 4, 2021, a game which the Bandits won 16-9 at home.
Players To Watch
Roughnecks: F Jesse King: If the ‘Necks are going to pick up a win in front of a raucous Buffalo crowd King is going to be a huge part of it as he chases down his second straight 100-point season.
Bandits: F Josh Byrne: Byrne leads the NLL in points with 119 in 16 games played this season.
2023-24 Scoring Leaders:
Roughnecks:
Jesse King – 93 points (29g, 64a)
Tyler Pace – 77 points (31g, 46a)
Tanner Cook – 59 points (23g, 36a)
Haiden Dickson – 42 points (25g, 17a)
Bandits:
Josh Byrne – 119 points (48g, 71a)
Dhane Smith – 115 points (30g, 85a)
Chris Cloutier – 63 points (27g, 36a)
Goaltending 2023-24 Head-to-Head:
Christian Del Bianco: 7-9
GAA: 10.48
SV %: .798
Matt Vinc: 9-5
GAA: 12.10
SV %: .769
