The #8 seed San Diego Seals traveled to Key Bank Center to take on the top-seeded Buffalo Bandits in the first quarterfinal matchup of the 2025 NLL Playoffs. The Seals (9-9) made the postseason on the heels of a thrilling win over Albany in Week 21. The Bandits (13-5), having locked up home-floor advantage, dropped a decision to Georgia, and went just 6-5 after a 7-0 start to the season. That 6-5 record included a 1-1 split with the Seals during the regular season, with both visiting teams securing one-goal victories. A third one-goal victory would unfold on this night, although not in a manner that anyone could have expected. The Bandits prevailed in the lowest-scoring game in NLL history (regular season and playoffs), winning 5-4 to advance to the semifinals.
Late run gives Bandits halftime lead
The play was intense and extremely physical from the opening faceoff. Ian MacKay scored the lone goal of the first quarter for Buffalo, beating Seals goaltender Chris Origlieri at the 5:24 mark. The Seals responded early in the second with goals from Zach Currier (2:11) and Wesley Berg (2:49) on consecutive shifts. However, the Bandits continued to press, reeling off four straight goals to end the half with a 5-2 lead. Dhane Smith (6:03) tied the game, then MacKay scored his second off a rebound (11:08) to restore Buffalo’s lead. Nick Weiss (13:47) added a goal in transition, then Kyle Buchanan scored on a dunk with 0.1 seconds remaining in the half for the three-goal edge.
Bandits defense stands tall as offense goes silent in second half
A wild sequence in the third quarter saw the first called penalties of the game, initially resulting in a Seals 5-on-3 power play, then a Bandits 5-on-4 power play. After the plethora of penalties were killed off, Tre Leclaire (10:01) cut the Seals’ deficit to 5-3. After another 19 minutes of end-to-end action elapsed with no scoring, the Seals went on the power play with just under a minute remaining after Dylan Robinson was whistled for a five-minute major penalty. However, the Bandits defense and goaltender Matt Vinc continued to block San Diego shot attempts, yielding only Currier’s second goal with one second left in regulation. Buffalo survives (barely), and will await the winner of tomorrow’s Rochester-Vancouver game in a best-of-three semifinals matchup.
Other Stats of Note
Seals: Currier (2g); Leclaire (1g, 2a); Berg (1g); Ben McIntosh (3a); Rob Hellyer (2a); Jesse Gamble (1a)
Bandits: MacKay (2g); Smith (1g, 2a); Buchanan (1g, 1a); Weiss (1g); Josh Byrne (2a)
Chris Origlieri (SD): 39 saves on 44 shots; Matt Vinc (BUF): 48 saves on 52 shots
Faceoff Wins: SD 7; BUF 4
Power Play: SD 1 for 5; BUF 0 for 3
The Bandits also set a new record for fewest goals scored (5) by a winning team (home or road), previously held by San Diego, who broke the record in their 6-5 win over Ottawa in Week 6 this season.
