14 Ways The Rush Can Make The Playoffs
Apr 15, 2024The NLL playoff picture is 100% far from clear, but one thing is for sure, we’re in for a real treat in week 21.
To close out the season and make the playoffs, the Saskatchewan Rush MUST get to 9-9 for a chance at the dance. Where things get confusing is there isn’t just one perfect formula to get in, there’s 14 and they’re all different.
Now I didn’t go through every single tiebreaker, but here’s the basis of how it works when teams are tied with the new unified standings:
- a) Head-to-head winning percentage between tied teams
- b) Winning percentage against common opponents played an equal number of times
- c) Head-to-head goal differential (NOTE: in case of three or more teams being tied, all teams must have played each other in order to apply this tiebreaker)
- d) Strength of victory (Combined Win% of all teams defeated; teams defeated multiple times will count the number of times defeated)
- e) Strength of schedule (Combined Win% of all teams competed against; teams competed against multiple times will count the number of times competed against)
- f) League wide goal differential
- g) Goals For
- h) Goals Against
- i) Coin toss
You might need an Ivy League degree to crunch every single number, but after going through over 100 potential scenarios from the final weekend, here’s how the Saskatchewan Rush could get in to the post-season.
Scenario A
Vancouver @ San Diego = Seals win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = FireWolves win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. Sask
8. PCLC
Scenario B
Vancouver @ San Diego = Warriors win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = FireWolves win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. Sask
8. PCLC
Scenario C
Vancouver @ San Diego = Warriors win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = Riptide win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. PCLC
8. Sask
Scenario D
Vancouver @ San Diego = Seals win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = Riptide win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. Sask
8. PCLC
Scenario E
Vancouver @ San Diego = Warriors win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = FireWolves win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = PCLC win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. PCLC
8. Sask
Scenario F
Vancouver @ San Diego = Warriors win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = FireWolves win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = PCLC win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. PCLC
8. Sask
Scenario G
Vancouver @ San Diego = Seals win
Colorado @ Halifax = Mammoth win
Albany @ New York = FireWolves win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = PCLC win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. Halifax
8. Sask
Scenario H
Vancouver @ San Diego = Warriors win
Colorado @ Halifax = Mammoth win
Albany @ New York = FireWolves win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. Vancouver
8. Sask
Scenario I
Vancouver @ San Diego = Warriors win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = FireWolves win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. Sask
8. PCLC
Scenario J
Vancouver @ San Diego = Warriors win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = RipTide win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. PCLC
8. Sask
Scenario K
Vancouver @ San Diego = Seals win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = FireWolves win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = PCLC win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. PCLC
8. Sask
Scenario L
Vancouver @ San Diego = Seals win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = FireWolves win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. Sask
8. PCLC
Scenario M
Vancouver @ San Diego = Seals win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = Riptide win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. Sask
8. PCLC
Scenario N
Vancouver @ San Diego = Seals win
Colorado @ Halifax = Thunderbirds win
Albany @ New York = Riptide win
Toronto @ Saskatchewan = Rush win
Panther City @ Calgary = Roughnecks win
Final Playoff Spots:
7. Sask
8. PCLC
Congrats on making it this far!