(1) Chaos vs. (3) Redwoods
Saturday, 5 p.m. ET (NBC Sports)
Regular season: Week 3, Chaos 12-11; Week 8, Chaos 13-10
Should there be some worrying on the Chaos offense?
Chaos has seen its goal total decrease in each of the last four games, going from 13 goals on Aug. 10 to seven in its latest outing. That’s even with the team’s offense getting healthy again, with Miles Thompson and Josh Byrne returning to the lineup.
Thompson was held to just one assist last week. Froccaro and Dhane Smith each scored twice from the midfield, but Deemer Class and Myles Jones ended with goose eggs. The 2-point opportunities have dried up for the team that has shown the least fear in shooting from long range.
One positive looking forward: Connor Fields has played well against Redwoods, notching eight points in two regular season games.
Another loss would extend the longest slide of the season for the Chaos. The team never lost two games in a row in the regular season.
Redwoods, on the other hand, has been rolling offensively. The Woods notched 16 goals last week, including nine in the game-changing third quarter, a week after scoring 18 against the Chrome.
Jules Heningburg showed no sign of injury after his concussion, notching four points last week, while Ryder Garnsey led the squad with five. Greg Gurenlian is coming off a great week, having won a playoff-leading 59.2 percent of his draws.
The defense seems back on track after a disastrous matchup with Whipsnakes in the team’s penultimate game of the season. Having Glazener back in the fold has been a godsend.
(4) Archers vs. (6) Chrome
Saturday, 8 p.m. ET (NBC Sports Gold)
Regular season: Week 1, Archers 13-12; Week 7, Archers 9-7
The Archers are down two serious contributors from last week, including MVP finalist Tom Schreiber. He took an awkward shoulder hit while running in transition at the end of the first quarter, ending his season prematurely. The PLL announced on Monday he’ll be watching these final two weeks from the sidelines.
Jackson Place’s freak injury in the fourth quarter, which saw him crumble to the turf immediately after bumping into Eddy Glazener, seems to be under control but obviously needs more time to heal.
Ben McIntosh is also out of the lineup this week, with defenseman Evan Connell, midfielder Austin Sims and attackman Davey Emala all suiting up instead. With no Schreiber, Marcus Holman and Will Manny will be called upon to lead the charge. Archers will also need to find a midfielder to step up offensively.
Chrome, which finished last in the league in the regular season, may need the No. 1 pick the most but have now lost three straight. It won’t be John Galloway between the pipes since Brett Queener, back from suspension, and Denver rookie Alex Ready are the active keepers this week.
Dom Starsia’s squad struggled defending Connor Buczek last week, giving up three 2-pointers and a league-record nine points, while going down 5-1 quickly after the first. They managed only a goal each in the first and fourth quarters, with the attack unit accounting for nearly all the production. Rookies Greg Coholan and Connor Farrell, a faceoff specialist, had the only goals from the midfield.