The 2025 Premier Lacrosse League Championship Series got started with big wins by the New York Atlas and Utah Archers (unfortunately to the detriment of my first two bets). Our Golden Stick bets are all in good shape as all five players ranked in the top 10 in scoring points after the first round of games.
The PLL Championship Series continues on Thursday and I have bets for each of the next two games. Let’s take a look at what they are.
Maryland Whipsnakes vs. Boston Cannons
 Maryland Moneyline/Spread | +100 / +1.5 |
 Boston Moneyline/Spread | -130 / -1.5 |
| Total | 45.5 |
| Time | Thursday · 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via bet365
I expected the Whipsnakes to play better in their second championship series, but they struggled once again in this format. Credit to New York for executing a great offensive game plan and Liam Entenmann for blanking numerous quality scoring chances for Maryland. Boston also struggled to keep pace with Utah, though the game was closer than the final score might indicate.
Ultimately, I still think the Cannons are one of the better teams and I expect them to be able to win by multiple scores against the Whipsnakes. Maryland’s loss was more lopsided than it probably should have been—Entenmann made some spectacular saves and Whipsnakes also missed the net on several quality chances. Yet, Boston was stifled by some great defense from Utah.
Neither Boston or Maryland had much success from two-point range, but Boston is more equipped to take advantage of the two-point arc. The Cannons only attempted six two-pointers and that should change in their second game. Marcus Holman, Matt Campbell and Asher Nolting are all players we could see be effective from beyond the arc and Brendan Krebs’ track record stopping long-range is not as good as Colin Kirst’s. Krebs allowed goals on half the two-point shots he faced on Tuesday and that should be an area the Cannons exploit on Thursday.
I also trust Boston’s more defensive-oriented players to limit Maryland enough to build and maintain a league. The Whipsnakes will likely score more than 13, but outscoring Boston will be a tall task.
Bet Boston Cannons -1.5 at -105 on bet365, BetMGM or FanDuel.
New York Atlas vs. Utah Archers
 New York Moneyline/Spread | -128 / -1.5 |
 Utah Moneyline/Spread | +104 / +1.5 |
| Total | 43.5 |
| Time | Friday · 8 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
Odds via FanDuel
The Friday game features the two unbeaten teams in New York and Utah. While New York played solid defensively in their first game, Entenmann made some stellar saves that masked some of the defensive breakdowns the Atlas had. I think the Archers will have more success than the Whips did. Utah took advantage of Boston’s breakdowns in transition and should be able to attack Atlas in a similar way.
As for New York, they’ll have the benefit of an extra day of rest and were able to take their foot off the gas a bit earlier in their first game. My fears about their offense were unfounded and they did a great job of both generating close-range shots, as well as being opportunistic from the two-point arc. I think they’ll be able to have success against Nick Washuta and expect this game to become a track meet very early on. Washuta only allowed a pair of two-point goals, but allowed 12 and 11 through four games in the previous championship series.
Boston played into Utah’s hand by trying to generate offense off the dodge, but we saw Atlas utilize a lot of picks to get open looks and that should be an effective strategy in gaining separation against this Utah defense.
These teams are also very evenly matched and that could potentially lead to our first overtime period with the new rules—which would help this over hit. Bet Archers-Atlas to go Over 43.5 at -110 on FanDuel or -115 on bet365.
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