NLL Week Four: Buffalo Bandits vs. Minnesota Swarm

Tonight we experience day two of a very busy weekend in the NLL. The Bandits look to make the best of this weekend tonight after a tough 13-10 loss to the Philadelphia Wings last night. To move to 3-1 the Bandits will need to go through the Minnesota Swarm, who sit at 0-1 after losing their only game so far to Colorado.

Buffalo experienced many errors in last night's game vs. the Wings that need to be fixed for tonight. The passing appeared off, and many players tried playing a run and gun game that just wasn't working for Buffalo. Although Miller did have a very good night in net, it appeared that most of the Bandits shots were hitting him right in the chest. Buffalo could only control a few of the Wings studs, as Crowley and Dan Dawson each only had 1 goal. That being said, Westervelt had four and Mundorf three. Tonight the Bandits won't have to worry about defending a ton of star forwards, just two in particular. Ryan Benesch and Callum Crawford lead a Swarm team that is very young. Will they be able to lead their team to a victory over the older and more established Bandit team?

Bandits Keys to the Game: -Michael Thompson needs to have a better game in net than he did last night. He was a wall in the Toronto game. Against Philly? Not so much. There were a few weak goals that he probably should of had last night. One that comes to memory is a lob from about seven feet out where he was just completely out of position. For Buffalo to get back on the right path he needs to be the team's backbone.

-The long passes really aren't working for the Bandits. Sure, Steenhuis's goal from Sweeney was beautiful, but that was about the only time that worked all night. Many players were passing it from their own net to past the center line, leading to many giveaways. The Bandits have one of the best sets in the league, they should use it.

-The Bandits need to double team Benesch and force other players to do the scoring for the Swarm. Minnesota isn't exactly overflowing with superstars at this point. Many of their best players were traded away this off-season for draft picks and young players. Force these young guys to do the heavy lifting for the Swarm.

Take the jump to read my keys to the game for Minnesota!

Swarm Keys to the Game: -The Swarm need to get the Bandits defense moving. If they stay to the outside the Bandits can shut them down pretty easily. Keep the offense complex, allow players to move around down low. That's where the Bandits usually have their problems.

-We haven't seen very much of this year's Minnesota Swarm team, and neither have the Bandits. There's an element of mystery where the Swarm could institute new plays or systems that the rest of the league isn't familiar with yet. I'm not expecting anything too out there, but the surprise element could play a factor.

-The Bandits are tired after playing last night, score on them early! If Buffalo gets behind early it will be very hard for them to come back with tired legs. The Swarm need to push the play and play at their tempo.

-And finally, the Swarm can't fall apart in the 4th quarter. They went into the 4th in Colorado down by two goals, but allowed Colorado to score eight 4th quarter goals. If the Swarm are going anywhere this season like their owner says he believes they can, Minnesota can't fall to pieces late.

Who do you think will win tonight's match up, and why? Do the Bandits have the pieces to make a run for the Championship, and will Minnesota surprise some people? As always comment below, and thanks for checking out InLaxWeTrust.com.