The march to May is on!
With the best players in the league, including stars like Georgia's Lyle Thompson and Ottawa's Jeff Teat, bringing the heat, fans can expect dynamic gameplay, jaw-dropping highlights and fierce competition as teams aim to secure their place in the postseason. Check here for standings.
Of the five games on the schedule, the biggest is Saturday's showdown between the Buffalo Bandits and Saskatchewan Rush (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+), as the top two teams will each want a statement victory.
What are the big storylines heading into the weekend? Here's the full schedule, along with notes on key matchups.
Games on tap
Note: All games available to stream on ESPN+.
Friday, Feb. 28
Georgia Swarm at Ottawa Black Bears | 7 p.m.
Albany FireWolves at Rochester Knighthawks | 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 1
Buffalo Bandits at Saskatchewan Rush | 8 p.m.
Calgary Roughnecks at Colorado Mammoth | 9 p.m.
Halifax Thunderbirds at Las Vegas Desert Dogs | 10 p.m.
Key storylines for Week 14
Swarm at Black Bears: The fourth-place Swarm, led by Thompson, are looking to avenge a loss to the Black Bears in January, as Jeff Teat & Co. won that one 14-10. Both Teat (three goals, six assists) and Thompson (five goals, four helpers) had nine points in that one.
Bandits at Rush: The Rush have won five straight games by an average margin of 4.4 goals, and they'll host a Bandits squad that has just one loss this season. The last meeting between the teams was an OT win for Buffalo, including 11 points for Josh Byrne (four goals, seven assists).
Roughnecks at Mammoth: The big news this week in the NLL was the trade of reigning NLL Goalie of the Year Nick Rose (along with defender Tyler Hendrycks and a fourth-round pick) to Calgary. Can he be the difference in this matchup, as the Roughnecks look to jump over the Mammoth in the standings?
Thunderbirds at Desert Dogs: Halifax has won four straight to pull into third place; Randy Staats has been a big reason why, with 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists) in the past seven contests. There will be a new face in the mix for Las Vegas, with the recent addition of forward Holden Cattoni, who has 60 points this season.