PREVIEW: Saskatchewan vs Buffalo (NLL Finals)

May 15, 2025

Saskatoon, SK – The Saskatchewan Rush will face the Buffalo Bandits in the 2025 NLL Finals presented by PlayNow starting with game one on Friday, May 16th at 5:30PM.

Saskatchewan advanced to the dance after a two-game sweep of the Halifax Thunderbirds, taking game one 16-7 and pulling off an improbable comeback in game two, winning 10-9 in overtime. Austin Shanks led the way in the series with eight goals and leads the NLL Playoffs in scoring with 10 goals. Between the pipes, Frank Scigliano stopped 86/102 shots he faced in the series, bringing his playoff save percentage up to .833. 

Buffalo enters their fifth straight NLL Finals appearance after sweeping Christian Del Bianco and the Vancouver Warriors 2-0. Ian MacKay continues his tear with nine goals and 12 points in the playoffs, while Matt Vinc continues to backstop the Bandits, posting an .875 save percentage through three games. 

These two teams met back in March, with Buffalo taking the contest 9-7 on Co-op Field. The Rush were missing Robert Church in that game, but got a four-goal outing from Zach Manns and three assists from rookie Brock Haley.

All-time, Saskatchewan is 4-5 against Buffalo, including the 2016 NLL Finals where the number two seed Rush swept the number one seed Bandits. Four of the five Buffalo wins over Saskatchewan have come in overtime, including a wild 15-14 finish last season in KeyBank Center. 

At the faceoff dot, Jake Naso leads the NLL in faceoff wins in the post season with 44, while winning 61.1% of his draws. He’ll be going up against Connor Farrell, who has won 38.5% of his faceoffs in three games. 

Defensively, the Rush are led by the three-headed monster of Jake Boudreau, Mike Messenger and Matt Hossack, who have combined for 15 caused turnovers, 71 loose balls, 9 goals and 18 points in the playoffs. The Bandits stingy defence features four players with seven or more blocked shots, including Paul Dawson, Nick Weiss, Steve Priolo and Cam Wyers. 

Fans can catch game one on TSN5 in Canada and ESPN+ in America with Teddy Jenner, Pat Gregoire and Ashley Docking on the call. 

Full Schedule:

Game 1 – Friday, May 16^th – KeyBank Center - 5:30PM

Game 2 – Sunday, May 18^th – Co-op Field - 6:00PM (doors open at 5:00PM)

Game 3 – Saturday, May 24^th – KeyBank Center - 2:30PM

Tickets for game two can be purchased here.