What to watch for vs. Buffalo Bandits

Series Starts Tonight In Buffalo

Buffalo, NY – The Toronto Rock (E2) will take on the Buffalo Bandits (E1) tonight at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY in game one of the best-of-three East Conference Finals.  This will be the third consecutive season the two teams will meet for a chance to advance to the NLL Finals with Buffalo getting the upper hand in each of the previous two meetings.

Fans can watch the game vs. Buffalo at 7:30pm ET on TSN and TSN’s digital platform TSN+ via TSN.ca and the TSN App as well as ESPN+.  To stream the game, simply login to TSN+ with your cable or satellite provider’s credentials or your TSN+ account info if you’re a subscriber to the streaming service.

Here’s what to watch for in Friday’s matchup.

• The Toronto Rock moved superstar forward Tom Schreiber to the Active Roster from the Injured Reserve on Friday morning. Schreiber missed the Rock’s NLL Quarterfinals victory over Halifax last Friday night.  Forward Josh Dawick was moved to the Practice Roster.
• The Rock and Bandits have met 8 times in the postseason with the Bandits winning 5 of those meetings. On the road, the Rock are 1-2 in Buffalo.  The Rock’s lone road playoff win in Banditland came in 2011, which was the last time the Rock hoisted the NLL’s championship trophy.
• Rock HC Matt Sawyer is 4-5 in the postseason behind the Rock bench, a win tonight will bring his Rock playoff coaching win-loss record to .500.
• Earlier in the week, the Rock moved defender Sheldon Burns from the Injured Reserve List to the Active Roster. Burns last played in the Rock’s 18-7 win over the Bandits on April 1.  Moving to the Injured Reserve List was defender Chris Weier with a lower body injury.
• With last week’s 5-point effort, Corey Small hit the 50-point plateau in his playoff career. He did it in just 13 games and has 32 goals in the baker’s dozen of playoff appearances.
• Tom Schreiber has 40 points in just 8 playoff games, an average of 5 points per game.
• Stephen Keogh brings 3 championship rings and a wealth of playoff experience to the table for the Rock. He has 23 goals and 48 points in 21 career playoff games.

Check out this week’s edition of the Toronto Rock Total Access podcast featuring a one-on-one with Rock Captain Challen Rogers, looking ahead to this weekend’s East Conference Finals.

Fans should also check out the latest episode of Rock City Unplugged, streaming now on the Rock’s YouTube Channel and on TSN+.

Game two of the series shifts back to Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre on Saturday night at 7pm ET where one team will have chance to punch their ticket to the NLL Finals.  If necessary, game three of the series will be played back in Buffalo on Saturday, May 20 at 7:30pm ET.

For more information on Toronto Rock tickets, please contact a Toronto Rock account executive by phone at 416-596-3075, by email at tickets@torontorock.com or visit torontorock.com.