National Lacrosse League Week 10 Power Rankings and NLL Projections

14. Las Vegas Desert Dogs (2-5)

Power Rating: -0.1688
Current Win Total Projection: 6.6
Latest Projected Final Point Differential: -35.1
Latest Projected Finish in Standings: 14th
Last Week’s Ranking: 14th

I never understood the hype around this year’s Calgary team. Sure, their offseason moves led to lower expectations to start the season, but it felt like, after their 2-0 start, everyone was ready to consider them a playoff team again. I didn’t buy it then and I’m not buying it right now. That’s why I’ve never ranked them higher than seventh and they haven’t been that high since Week 5. As I discussed last weak, they’re too reliant on their star players and depth is a major concern. Toronto was able to severely limit Dane Dobbie and Tyler Pace last weekend and while Curtis Dickson and Jesse King each had six points, a lot of the production from the big four came when the game was already out of reach. The biggest concern is still the defense and Cam MacLeod and Colby Bowman have been essentially splitting time at this rate given how often MacLeod has been pulled. Furthermore, MacLeod has the lowest goals saved above average mark of any starter with -13.26, which is even worse than Landon Kells’s -11.8. They’ll still be competitive this season, but I’m not sweating our “Calgary to miss the playoffs” bet from before the start of the season.

Rochester didn’t move up a spot, but their rating did improve after a narrow loss to Colorado. Like Albany, their record could lead to some long moneyline odds that are worth betting in the right spots. This Knighthawks team is going to have a tough time making the playoffs this year, but they still have some fight and will be a tough out for any opponent.