The 2025 National Lacrosse League Finals begin on Friday night in Banditland. Buffalo hosts Saskatchewan in Game 1 following 2 weeks of rest for the back-to-back champions. Let’s take a look at my best bets for Game 1.
Note: The odds presented below are those at the time when Hutton sends his picks out to DubClub subscribers and are subject to change. Subscribe to Hutton Jackson’s lacrosse picks on DubClub so you never miss out on the best odds for these picks. As soon as Hutton places a bet, you’ll immediately get a notification with both the pick and brief analysis. Picks are sent out at least 20 minutes in advance of articles published on Bet On Lacrosse.
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Saskatchewan Rush at Buffalo Bandits
 Saskatchewan Moneyline/Spread | +170 / +1.5 |
 Buffalo Moneyline/Spread | -210 / -1.5 |
| Total | 21.5 |
| Time | Friday · 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+/TSN |
Odds via Caesars
The Buffalo Bandits host the Saskatchewan Rush to start the NLL Finals and despite Buffalo getting an extra week of rest, I think this game will be close. I was prepared to stay away from the spread, but the odds to back the Rush on Caesars are too enticing. While I give the slight edge to Buffalo, Saskatchewan has a better than the implied 37% chance of winning this game.
When these teams last faced, an empty-netter was the only difference between it being a one-goal game and the Rush actually held a lead at halftime. Saskatchewan was also without one of its best forwards in Robert Church, who has plenty of finals experience. The Rush did a great job of disrupting the Bandits’ offense when these teams last faced and played aggressively. I expect them to give Buffalo their best shot and think an upset is possible. Bet a half unit on Rush +1.5 at +120 and a half unit on Rush moneyline at +170 on Caesars.
The other bet I like goes hand-in-hand with my expectation that this will be a close game. Saskatchewan starter Frank Scigliano played great when these teams last faced, stopping 82.2% of shots he faced and holding the Bandits to single digits—the only goalie to do so in the regular season this year. Buffalo netminder Matt Vinc played even better, stopping 85.7% of shots and holding the Rush to their lowest goal total of the season, including allowing just one even-strength goal in the second half. Neither team has allowed their opponent to score double-digits during the playoffs and the average total for playoff games featuring these teams this postseason is 17.5. These defenses are some of the best in the NLL, and I expect them to dominate on Friday night.
I don’t expect both teams to reach double digits in this game and even if they do, expect no higher than an 11-10 finish. Both defenses are too strong and neither team will have a significant possession advantage, so I expect a more methodical pace. Bet this game to stay Under 22.5 at -115 on BetMGM or FanDuel.
Picks: Saskatchewan Rush +1.5 (0.5 unit), Saskatchewan Rush ML (0.5 unit), Under 22.5
2024-25 NLL Season Best Bets: 64-53 for +10.315 units
All bets are to win 1 unit or more (i.e. 1.2 units at -120, 1 unit at +120) unless otherwise specified.
Subscribe to Hutton Jackson’s lacrosse picks on DubClub so you never miss out on the best odds for these picks. As soon as Hutton places a bet, you’ll immediately get a notification with both the pick and brief analysis!
