After dropping a rough game to the Rush, and New England picking up a couple of wins, the Philadelphia Wings fell to second in the East division once again. In their most recent matchup, goaltender Brandon Miller saw his first action of the season in the 15-10 loss.
Philadelphia will look to rebound their loss when they square off against the Colorado Mammoth for the first time this season. This is the first and only matchup of the teams this season.
The Wings and Mammoth will meet at the Pepsi Center for a Saturday night faceoff. The Mammoth will be coming off a big divisional win, putting a halt on San Diego’s mere playoff chances.
The teams are squaring off in Colorado, so you can catch the game at 9:30 PM on BR Live.
Know Your Enemy:
Colorado Mammoth
The Mammoth have not had a very ideal season. Currently, they sit in third in the West Division with a 5-6 record.
As for stats go, however, the Mammoth have been just like their record: mediocre. The Wings have outscored their opponents by 19 this season, while the Swarm only showcase an even plus-zero in the goal differential category. They have been a good ground ball (743) and transition team, but that’s about it for their above-average stats. Their face-off percentage is sitting toward the bottom of the NLL, only winning 47.1% of opportunities. Trevor Baptiste, who is three faceoff wins away from 200 on the season, should have a field day for Philly.
In their 11 games, Colorado has only shot the ball 512 times, nearly 100 less than Philly has through 11. However, just like their Saturday night counterparts, their goaltending has carried them so far this season. Per NLL.com, Dillon Ward for the Mammoth leads the league in minutes played at 660:31 in 11 games played (yes, that is more than 60 minutes per game). He also leads the league in saves at 470 (and is on pace to break the single-season saves record set by Anthony Cosmo in 2014 at 752), and trails only Higgins in goals allowed average at 9.27. Ward is tied with Higgins for first in save percentage at .822. Should both teams and goaltenders keep up these kinds of performances, they may not only battle for NLL Goaltender of the Year Award but potentially the MVP Award.
On the offensive end, Ryan Lee sits at sixth in the league with 49 points for Colorado. His 18 goals and 31 assists lead his team in both categories.
Prediction
Just like the game against the Rush, the Mammoth can be looked at as a trap game for Philly. The Wings are a much better team on paper and need to regroup following their recent performance. As well as Colorado may match up against the Wings, Philly should still take this one in a lower scoring game.
Scratch up a Pepsi Center dominant performance for Philly leading to a 12-8 Wings’ win.
Mandatory Credit – Alex McIntyre
