PLL Week 11 Preview: Cannons Host Throwback Week in Boston

The Premier Lacrosse League ships up to Boston for the Cannons’ homecoming weekend and “MLL Week.”

The Cannons and Outlaws will wear throwback jerseys that honor teams from earlier in their history, while the Atlas, Chaos, Redwoods and Whipsnakes will don the name and colors of a past Major League Lacrosse team that played in their region. Utah will also wear throwback uniforms, wearing jerseys inspired by the ones worn during the 2019 season.

Despite being the second-to-last weekend of the regular season, the Archers, Cannons and Chaos will all play their final games this weekend. With playoff spots on the line, all eyes will be on the seven teams playing in Boston.

MARYLAND WHIPSNAKES (5-5) AT BOSTON CANNONS (5-5)

Friday 6 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Whipsnakes -1.5 vs. Cannons, O/U 25.5

Key storylines: The Cannons and Whipsnakes clash on Friday night with a playoff berth on the line. The winner will move to 6-5 and can keep their chances of securing the top seed in the East alive.

Last year, Boston had a doubleheader to end the season and needed just one win to make the playoffs. The Cannons ended up losing both and missing the playoffs based on score differential. That’s unlikely to happen again this year given New York’s 3-7 record and much worse score differential, but Boston undoubtedly wants to claim a playoff berth on their own merit and build some momentum ahead of the playoffs.

Boston isn’t getting discussed enough as a championship contender. While many teams are dealing with injuries, the Cannons remain relatively healthy and have shown they can beat nearly every team in the league. With a win against the Whipsnakes on Friday, Boston will have beaten every team this year except Carolina — which may not even make the playoffs as it currently stands.

They also appeared to fix their biggest weakness this season, which was goaltending. With Colin Kirst struggling, coach Brian Holman opted to start JC Higginbotham and the former Bellarmine netminder responded by making 11 saves and stopping 61.1% of shots in his debut.

If you haven’t hopped on the Boston bandwagon yet, this weekend might be the last chance to do so at some long odds. Expect a strong performance from the Cannons this weekend and bet Boston to win the PLL championship at +800 on BetRivers or DraftKings.

Players to watch: Higginbotham is expected to make his second career start for the Cannons. How will Boston’s new starting netminder fare now that teams have some film on him?

Additionally, midfielder Garrett Degnon will make his Maryland debut and provides the Whipsnakes with another stretch shooter.

Matt Brandau and Petey LaSalla return to the Whipsnakes’ lineup after missing last week with injuries. LaSalla won 57.1 percent of his faceoffs in the last matchup, but how will he fare against the league’s leader in faceoff percentage in Andrew McMeekin?

Bold prediction: The Whipsnakes beat the Cannons handily when they last played, but the game was closer than the final score indicated. Boston allowed three flukey goals during the game and Higginbotham, McMeekin, Jack Regnery and Will Donovan had yet to debut for Boston. Boston enacts some revenge and wins a close one over their Eastern Conference rival.

Best bet: Boston Cannons ML (+110 on BetMGM)

UTAH ARCHERS (6-5) VS. CAROLINA CHAOS (5-6)

Friday 8:30 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Archers -1.5 vs. Chaos, O/U 21.5

Key storylines: Utah can clinch a playoff berth and put itself in a great spot to secure the first-round bye with a win on Friday night. Carolina needs help from Denver or California in addition to winning on Friday to have a chance at making the playoffs.

There’s a realistic scenario where every team in the West finishes with a 6-6 record. If the Chaos defeat the Archers and the Outlaws and Redwoods both go 1-1 in their remaining games, we’d get a four-way tie and both the top seed and the final playoff spot would be determined by score differential.

Utah’s plus-28 score differential gives the Archers the biggest edge, while Carolina’s minus-19 makes it unlikely that they’d make the postseason in a four-way tie scenario. The Archers and Chaos will have a chance to improve their score differential with a victory in what is both’s final game of the season.

As for the game itself, Carolina saw Utah’s four short-stick defensive midfielder strategy and said “we’ll raise you to five.” The Chaos are only rostering seven offensive players on their 19-man roster, opting to dress five short-stick defenders, four long poles and faceoff specialist Nick Rowlett.

Both teams’ SSDM units should be relied on heavily not just on the defensive end, but in transition and potentially even settled offense as well.

Players to watch: Rowlett returns to the Chaos in place of the injured Justin Inacio. Rowlett’s last PLL action was on June 7, 2025, but he hasn’t just been sitting on the couch since then. Rowlett recently won an NLL championship with the Toronto Rock as their leading faceoff man and should be able to at least hang with Mike Sisselberger at the stripe.

Rookies Jack Taylor and Leif Hagerup will also make their debuts for the Chaos on Friday night.

As for Archers, Brett Dobson continues to be the player to watch this season. Dobson has made at least 14 saves in his last six games against the Chaos and has 12 or more saves in 15 of his last 19 career starts. Will the Utah goalie have a similar stat line on Friday and cement his goaltender of the year campaign?

Bold prediction: Dobson delivers another strong performance, making more than a dozen saves and stifling a late comeback attempt by Carolina.

Best bet: Brett Dobson Over 11.5 Saves (-114 on FanDuel or -115 on BetMGM)

NEW YORK ATLAS (3-7) VS. DENVER OUTLAWS (5-5)

Saturday 1 p.m. EST | Watch: ABC | Betting Lines: Outlaws -1.5 vs. Atlas, O/U 24.5

Key storylines: While New York hasn’t mathematically been eliminated, the Atlas need to win out, drastically improve their minus-29 score differential and have either Boston or Maryland lose out with blowout losses. With the Cannons having a plus-five score differential and the Whipsnakes at plus-20, a scenario where the defending champions sneak into the playoffs is unlikely.

On the other hand, Denver still controls its own destiny and will look to get back above .500 with a win over depleted New York. Brennan O’Neill and company responded last week, despite Denver dealing with injuries of its own. Can the Outlaws continue their playoff push with a win over the team with the worst record in the league despite no Jared Bernhardt, Pat Kavanagh and now Ben Randall this week?

Players to watch: The Outlaws made some signings ahead of their penultimate game. Denver added Jake Taylor after the former Notre Dame attackman was left off Philadelphia’s roster enough times to be claimed. He joins an attack that will likely feature O’Neill and Logan Wisnauskas. However, don’t be surprised if Dalton Young gets some more runs at attack as well with one of these four coming out of the box.

Defender Kevin Parnham is another name to watch as he’ll get the start at close defense in place of the injured Randall.

For New York, Vinny Butrico will make another appearance with Connor Shellenberger once again out due to injury. Butrico had just four touches in his Atlas debut last week, but scored a goal on one shot. With New York’s season all but over, its remaining two games are a great chance for players like Butrico to make some noise and earn some future playing time.

Bold prediction: Denver secures its second win in a row and finishes with a positive score differential. New York hangs around for three quarters but eventually runs out of gas again like last weekend.

Best bet: Denver Outlaws -1.5 (-106 on BetRivers)

CALIFORNIA REDWOODS (5-5) AT BOSTON CANNONS (5-5)

Saturday 8 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+ | Betting Lines: Redwoods -1.5 vs. Cannons, O/U 26.5

Key storylines: The Cannons will seek to end their season with a win over the Redwoods. Boston and California went back and forth in their previous meeting, but the Cannons never relinquished their lead and ended up winning 15-12. Last year, the Redwoods defeated the Cannons in a one-goal thriller that ultimately kept Boston out of the playoffs. Can California win the rematch and boost its own chances of making the playoffs or will Boston win their second straight over the Redwoods?

Another key storyline to watch is the battle at the faceoff stripe. Boston’s Andrew McMeekin currently leads the league in faceoff percentage at 62.4%, but California’s TD Ierlan is close behind at 59.4% and won 60 percent of the draws when these teams last played. This game could go a long way in determining who wins the 2026 Faceoff Athlete of the Year award.

Players to watch: Chris Kavanagh has quietly been having a stellar sophomore season. He has 30 points through just eight games and is fourth in points per game with 3.8, ranking behind just MVP candidates CJ Kirst and Michael Sowers and Rookie of the Year favorite Joey Spallina. The Redwoods will need another big performance out of him if they want to hold on to their spot in the crowded Western Conference standings.

Logan Ip is an under-the-radar player to watch on Saturday. Ip won’t play Friday, but will likely be moved onto the 19-man roster for Saturday’s game at his alma mater of Harvard. Ip scored his first career goal against Carolina and appeared more confident in his third pro appearance. Will Ip have a breakout game on the field he called home for four years?

Bold prediction: Both goaltenders and defenses do their part to slow down the opposing high-powered offenses and we get a lower-scoring game than the first meeting. It ends up being another close one with the game-winning goal coming in the final two minutes.

Best bet: Under 26.5 (+100 on BetMGM, BetRivers and FanDuel)