PLL Week 8 Preview: Rematches Headline Indigenous Heritage Weekend in Fairfield

The Premier Lacrosse League heads to Fairfield for the eighth week of the regular season, with all eight teams in action. Teams will wear Indigenous heritage jerseys to honor lacrosse’s Native American origins. The weekend starts with a rematch of the 2019 PLL Championship featuring the Redwoods and Whipsnakes, then continues with three rematches from earlier this season.

MARYLAND WHIPSNAKES (4-3) VS. CALIFORNIA REDWOODS (4-3)

Friday 6 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+

Betting Lines: Redwoods -1.5 vs. Whipsnakes; O/U 23.5 (24.5 on bet365/Caesars)

Key storylines: Both Maryland and California have remained near the top of the standings for the past couple of weeks, despite each going 1-2 in their least three games. A win would cement either at the top of the standings, while a loss would drop the other to .500 on the season.

The Whipsnakes’ settled offense struggling for a couple of weeks before dropping 17 goals on a banged-up Carolina defense. The Maryland defense had a strong showing against Carolina and will look to slow down a California offense that has thrived in 32-second shot clock situations. While the Redwoods offense has been surging, their defense has struggled. Even with Dillon Ward averaging 14.3 saves per game and stopping 55.6 percent of the shots he’s faced, the Redwoods have allowed an average of 14.25 goals through their last four games.

Will California and Maryland’s settled offenses show up on Friday or will we get a goalie duel with both defenses causing havoc?

Players to watch: It’s no coincidence that the Redwoods’ defensive woes coincide with defender Chris Fake going down with an injury. Fake will return to the lineup this weekend and should make an impact, even if not fully healthy. After California’s loss to Boston, Chris Merle mentioned how the Redwoods weren’t playing as physical as they’d like — Fake returning should help change that.

Fake could end up matching up with Rob Pannell, who enters the game three points shy of tying Paul Rabil’s record for most career points in pro field lacrosse history. Can RP3 tie or break the record against his former team?

Goalies Ward and Emmet Carroll will also be key players to watch. With the exception of last week’s game, Ward has saved 53 percent or more of the shots he’s faced in all but one game this season and made 15 or more saves in five of seven games.

Carroll has been less consistent, but has had some big performances this year. He’s stopped more than 72 percent of the shots he’s faced in two games this season. Ward and Colin Kirst are the only other starting goalies to finish above 70 percent this season and neither have done it more than once.

Bold prediction: Both defenses show up in a big way as we get a close, physical battle between these title contenders. The goaltenders combine for more than 25 saves in a low-scoring game.

Best Bet: Under 24.5 (-120 on bet365 or -125 on Caesars)

DENVER OUTLAWS (3-3) VS. CAROLINA CHAOS (3-4)

Saturday 2 p.m. EST | Watch: ABC

Betting Lines: Outlaws -1.5 vs. Chaos; O/U 22.5

Key storylines: The Chaos enter the weekend looking to snap a two-game losing streak that has dropped them from first to last in the West. Carolina’s last win came against Denver in Charlotte back in Week 4. Meanwhile, the Outlaws sit at .500 after getting upset by the Boston Cannons last week. A loss would keep them behind California and potentially allow Utah to jump them in the standings.

When these teams last faced, Denver was successful in turning defensive stops into scoring chances, while Carolina did the majority of their scoring in settled situations. After the Outlaws jumped out to a 5-1 lead, Carolina jumped back in front with six-goal run in the second quarter. The second half was back-and-forth with Carolina eventually holding onto a 12-11 lead as Blaze Riorden blanked Denver for the final 11:27 of the game.

Can Denver limit scoring droughts this time around and secure their first win over Carolina since August 10, 2024? Or can Carolina get back to .500 and improve their minus-13 score differential in the process?

Players to watch: Jared Bernhardt was absent from the last meeting between these teams, dealing with a hamstring strain at the time. Denver’s offense missed Bernhardt in the last game and his ability to attack Carolina’s short-stick defenders will be an asset in round two. Expect him to split time both at attack and midfield as the Outlaws seek to exploit matchups.

One of Carolina’s dodging threats is Ross Scott, who’s come out of the box the majority of his career, but got the start at attack in place of Brendan Nichtern last weekend. Scott played attack at Rutgers, so playing at X is a natural spot for him. Yet, he failed to register a point in Carolina’s loss to Maryland. Expect the Chaos to prioritize creating advantageous matchups for him like they did when they last played the Outlaws.

Bold prediction: We get another close Western Conference thriller with no team leading my more than three goals at any point. Scott leads Carolina on the stat sheet, while Jared Bernhardt produces the most for Denver.

Best Bet: Ross Scott 3+ Points (+145 on DraftKings)

UTAH ARCHERS (3-4) VS. PHILADELPHIA WATERDOGS (4-2)

Saturday 4:30 p.m. EST | Watch: ESPN+

Betting Lines: Waterdogs -1.5 vs. Archers; O/U 21.5 (20.5 on DraftKings/TheScore Bet, 23.5 on bet365)

Key storylines: While we already saw this matchup a couple of weeks ago, this game can be summed up by “What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?”

The “unstoppable force” in this case is the Waterdogs offense, while the “immovable object” is the Archers defense. The CJ Kirst and Michael Sowers-led unit is averaging 14.3 goals through three games, while Utah’s defense is allowing just nine scores against per game. Not only is that the best mark in the PLL this season, it ranks second to only the 2020 Whipsnakes’ 8.5 scores allowed average for best in PLL history.

Philly managed to score 11 on the Archers in Week 6, but Kirst had nearly half of those goals and Sowers assisted on three of them. Finding a way to slow down Philadelphia’s dynamic duo will be critical for Utah.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s defense has yet to hold a team under 10 goals this season. The Waterdogs had arguably their best game defensively against the Archers, but Utah has shown the ability to score in transition and that could allow them to keep pace with this Philly offense. The Archers also spent a lot of time in the penalty box last time these teams met, which prevented Utah’s settled offense from ever getting into a groove.

Will the offenses continue to make strides or will the defenses perform and turn this rematch into a rock fight?

Players to watch: Not only is CJ Kirst having an MVP-worthy season, he’s having one of the best seasons in pro field lacrosse history. His five goals per game is currently the best of any player in a single season, including past Major League Lacrosse seasons despite PLL games featuring 12 fewer minutes. Seven of his 20 goals have been scored with fewer than 10 seconds on the shot clock and seven of his 22 points have come in the fourth quarter, which contextualizes just how clutch Kirst has been for Philadelphia. He remains a player to watch every week.

How Brendan Lavelle drew Kirst in the last game and actually played solid on-ball defense when defending him. However, Philly did an excellent job setting on-ball and off-ball picks to free up Kirst, which allowed him to do his most damage. If Utah’s defense can limit how often Lavelle switches off Kirst, they should have more success slowing him down.

Bold prediction: Utah holds Kirst to his lowest point total of the season in a low-scoring game that features nearly 30 combined saves between Brett Dobson and Matt DeLuca.

Best Bet: CJ Kirst Under 3.5 Goals (-138 on FanDuel)

BOSTON CANNONS (3-4) VS. NEW YORK ATLAS (3-4)

Sunday 3 p.m. EST | Watch: ABC

Betting Lines: Atlas -1.5 vs. Cannons; O/U 25.5 (24.5 on bet365, 26.5 on DraftKings/FanDuel)

Key storylines: Despite both teams sitting at 3-4, this feels like a must-win game for both Eastern Conference foes. Despite having the same record, Atlas is in a more dire situation given its minus-18 score differential.

When these teams last faced, New York came back to win thanks to a short-handed goal by Xander Dickson. The Atlas had a little bit of luck on its side, as a Marcus Holman attempt to tie it late in the game hit the goal post and just barely stayed out of the net.

Since that loss, Boston has won two straight against two of the better PLL teams in California and Denver. The Cannons’ young roster has been playing like seasoned veterans and fended off late comeback attempts in both of their wins.

Meanwhile, New York was held to its lowest goal total in team history last week and the offense failed to generate quality scoring chances against Utah. The Archers’ defense has been historic so far, but the Atlas’ inability to find consistency on offense is concerning. Will New York be doomed by another slow start, or will the Atlas bounce back again and keep its hopes of repeating alive?

Players to watch: New York will have former MVP and captain Trevor Baptiste facing off for them again this weekend. Baptiste’s absence has been notable in their losses and his return to the lineup could help this offense return to form. He’ll contend with Andrew McMeekin, who is having one of the best rookie seasons for a faceoff specialist and has given his own offense a spark.

The battle at the stripe could turn the tide in this game and will be one of the most fascinating matchups to watch.

Bold prediction: Boston wins its third-straight game and puts the defending champs’ playoff hopes on life support in another close finish.

Best Bet: Boston Cannons ML (+100 on DraftKings)