BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — The back-to-back NLL champion Buffalo Bandits secured a playoff berth Friday night at the KeyBank Center in a 13-10 win over the Las Vegas Desert Dogs.
WE’RE BAAAACK‼️#LetsGoBandits pic.twitter.com/lHQmkBiFp7
— Buffalo Bandits (@NLLBandits) March 22, 2025
In his NLL debut, Lukas Nielsen got the night started right for Buffalo, scoring the game's and his own first goal to make it 1-0. Then an unanswered seven-goal onslaught by a combination of Dhane Smith, Chris Cloutier, Josh Byrne, Kyle Buchanan, and Justin Martin would push the Bandits ahead 8-0 in the 1st quarter.
Las Vegas would score two in the second, but three unanswered goals in response by Buffalo to close out the first half would give them a commanding 11-2 halftime lead.
In the third, the offense would slow up a bit for the Bandits as the Desert Dogs outscored their foe 2-1 in the quarter, but Buffalo still maintained a well-controlled 12-4 lead heading to the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Credit to Las Vegas, because they knew how to make a near-sellout crowd at the KBC, start to feel the nerves in that last frame. Outscoring Buffalo 6-1 in the fourth made the final score a lot closer than expected after this game started the way it did for the Bandits.
"In a clinching position, bit of a relief. Satisfying that we're in the playoffs but also we're not satisfied we want to make sure we get a home game," head coach John Tavares said after the game.
"It's a good sign. The next step is getting a home playoff game it's going to be huge down the stretch," adds forward Dhane Smith. "Yeah, we've been struggling a little bit at home, but the momentum going forward is unbelievable. We're excited with the next step, and we've got to take care of business tomorrow."
With that 13-10 victory, Buffalo has secured a playoff berth and will look to keep the momentum going on the road Saturday against Albany.
