2026 PLL Semifinals Preview: Breaking Down Season’s Penultimate Weekend

The 2026 Premier Lacrosse League semifinals feature compelling matchups, with the Boston Cannons facing the Philadelphia Waterdogs and the Denver Outlaws playing the Utah Archers in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Utah is chasing its third title in four years and could face Philadelphia in a rematch of the 2023 PLL championship. If the Archers advance and draw the Cannons instead, then we’ll get a battle between Utah’s No. 1 defense and Boston’s No. 1 offense.

A Denver win combined with a Boston win would set up a championship game between the two teams with MLL history, while an Outlaws-Waterdogs final would feature the first overall picks from the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 PLL drafts.

UTAH ARCHERS VS. DENVER OUTLAWS

Monday 3 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN2 | Betting Lines: Outlaws -1.5 vs. Archers, O/U 21.5

Key Storylines: The Outlaws take on the Archers for the second time this season in Salt Lake City. That first meeting took place on opening weekend, and several starters were absent.

Utah missed starting goalie Brett Dobson, midfielder Tre Leclaire and top pick Aidan Maguire. Denver was without starting attackman Pat Kavanagh, short-stick defensive midfielder Ryan Terefenko and defender Mike Manley. Both teams are now at full strength, and 2023 MVP Tom Schreiber is even expected to make his return for the Archers.

Another storyline unique to this game is the setting. We saw the Archers and Outlaws both play each other at their respective home venues this season. Now, with the semifinals taking place in Salt Lake City, the Archers will have a de facto home game. While crowds can often be mixed, Utah has had one of the most lopsided home crowds. The Utah faithful are a vocal bunch and notorious for loudly booing Denver players like Brennan O’Neill. How much of an edge the home crowd gives the Archers on Monday will be something to keep an eye on.

Maguire and Terefenko will play a large role in their team’s transition game. Both teams have shown the ability to play fast, and the battle between the lines will likely determine who advances back to the championship. Expect more than a few fast break goals and plenty of momentum swings.

Players to Watch: It will have been 409 days since Schreiber last took the field, and his return to the lineup makes him the most intriguing player to watch. It’s tough to know how effective Schreiber will be, but his presence alone could open others on the offense. A less-than-100 percent Schreiber is still a threat.

Even while sidelined, Schreiber left his mark. During film sessions, he was responsible for spotlighting overlooked hustle plays that the team calls “what it takes” plays.

For Denver, Pat Kavanagh will likely be the X-factor. After missing some time, Kavanagh exploded for six points last weekend and had five in a losing effort when these teams last played. The Outlaws offense is at its best when it flows through Kavanagh. A strong outing by the attackman could earn Denver its second consecutive championship appearance.

Matchups to Watch: Mike Manley is expected to guard Connor Fields and has been fairly effective when doing so. As the closest defender, Manley has held Fields to 4 percent shooting — the lowest percentage among matchups featuring the same shooter against the closest defender with a minimum of 15 shots since 2023.

Even if Fields isn’t scoring goals, he’s shown he can still be a threat as a feeder, registering a pair of assists in the last meeting between these teams. Even if Fields isn’t scoring, if he’s able to draw a double team and distribute, it could open other members of the offense.

On the other end, we get O’Neill against Brendan Lavelle. Utah’s top option for stopping O’Neill was Graeme Hossack, but he’s not on the team this season. Instead, the role of eraser has fallen on Lavelle, and he’s done an admirable job limiting the big lefty. O’Neill only had two assists in the last matchup and was held to just 1-for-12 shooting in week one. Can Lavelle limit O’Neill again, or will No. 42 produce this time around?

Bold Prediction: The Archers outlast the Outlaws in a thrilling game that features late-game heroics from Dobson.

Best Bets: Utah Archers ML (+105 on BetMGM)

BOSTON CANNONS VS. PHILADELPHIA WATERDOGS

Monday 5:30 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Waterdogs -1.5 vs. Cannons, O/U 25.5

Key Storylines: The Cannons and Waterdogs have been bitter rivals for years, and each team has handed its opponent a blowout loss earlier in the year. But both games featured different personnel. The Cannons blew out the Waterdogs when Philadelphia was without CJ Kirst and didn’t have any of their 2026 PLL draft picks in the lineup.

A few weeks later, Philadelphia trounced Boston, but the Cannons hadn't activated Jack Regnery, hadn’t moved Will Donovan to close defense and hadn’t started JC Higginbotham in net.

What will happen now that the lineups have been consistent for several games?

We’ve also seen these games get very physical and chippy. It wouldn’t be surprising to see some scuffles occur throughout the game. Given the lethality of both teams’ power play units, the team that keeps a level head and avoids the penalty box the most will likely win.

Players to Watch: Higginbotham and Philadelphia’s Sean Byrne both took over as starting goalies midway through the season. So far, both are undefeated when starting, so someone’s streak will come to an end. Byrne has won five straight games since taking over for an injured Matt DeLuca and has registered a 65.9-percent save percentage in that span.

Higginbotham has won four straight as the starter and just had his best game of the season, holding Maryland to seven goals and stopping 63.2 percent of the Whipsnakes’ shots.

Matchups to Watch: Donovan will get another start at close defense and will likely be tasked with guarding Michael Sowers. His linemate, Owen Grant, is expected to have a familiar matchup with Kirst. None of the All-Pro attackmen that Donovan has guarded have scored more than three goals or recorded more than four points. If he can limit Sowers, it can go a long way to disrupting this offense.

As for Grant guarding Kirst, the Boston defender wasn’t matched with Kirst much in the last meeting, but he has experience guarding Kirst from college. In the 2022 NCAA quarterfinal matchup between Cornell and Delaware, Grant guarded Kirst and held him to just one goal. If Boston can prevent Philadelphia from freeing up Kirst off-ball — as they so often do via picks — and Grant can stay on him, the Cannons have a decent chance of keeping Kirst and Sowers in check.

Bold Prediction: The defenses are the storyline, with both goalies combining for nearly 30 saves. Rather than another blowout, we get a back-and-forth finish that’s decided on the final possession.

Best Bet: Under 25.5 (-110 on BetMGM or FanDuel)