Lacrosse is one of the rising sports in North America. With the big hits and contact of hockey, the action-packed contests of basketball, and a unique style unlike any other sport, if you’re not watching and betting on lacrosse yet, you should probably start.
The top box lacrosse league in the world is the National Lacrosse League, or the NLL. Online sportsbook Sportsbook has the latest 2021-22 NLL championship odds, which will be updated regularly throughout the rest of the season. Place your NLL bets at the button below:
With two weeks left in the regular season, top teams like the Halifax Thunderbirds, Buffalo Bandits, Toronto Rock and San Diego Seals battle for postseason seeding. We’ll be breaking down the NLL championship odds closer to the playoffs, but for now we’re giving you a breakdown of the top teams and some final game picks to end the season.
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The Best Bets To Win The NLL Championship
Buffalo Bandits Clinch Top Spot
Leading the league in wins and win percentage, the 14-3 Bandits have climbed the NLL standings in the back half of the season. With the recent Halifax slide and a seven-game Bandits win streak, Buffalo will move into first in NLL odds when the lines next get updated over at Sportsbook.
Buffalo rosters the best attack in the NLL, scoring 240 goals in just 17 games. With three attackers with over 30 goals so far, Dhane Smith leads the way and sits first in the NLL in points by over 20 points.
Halifax Thunderbirds Sliding
The 9-7 Halifax Thunderbirds have fallen behind the Bandits and the Toronto Rock in the NLL standings. However, the Thunderbirds still have a shot at the NLL title due to solid defensive play.
Early in the season, veteran defender and perennial NLL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Graeme Hossack backstopped the best shutdown team in the league. Goalie Warren Hill took a step forward as well, posting one of the best save percentages of all regular NLL goalies.
While the Thunderbirds have fallen back in the standings, they’ve still allowed the second-fewest goals in the East (172). Strong defensive play has set them up for success, but the Thunderbirds also added attacker Shawn Evans via trade to elevate the attack.
Can The San Diego Seals Rule The West?
On a five-game losing streak, the Seals are not leading the Western Conference for the first time this season. After dropping their season opener by a goal to Vancouver, the Seals went on a six-game winning streak before suffering their second loss of the year. Now in a horrific slide to end the season, they sit at 9-7.
The Seals clinched a playoff spot and have two winnable games left on the schedule to win back the West crown.
Lock in your NLL odds value pick over at Sportsbook:
NLL Pick Of The Week: Thunderbirds -1.5 (-115)
The Game: Halifax Thunderbirds vs New York Riptide - April 23 @ 7:30 p.m. ET
Halifax needs a win. The Thunderbirds are the only team over .500 in the NLL right now that hasn’t clinched a playoff spot.
Facing a 6-10 Riptide squad that’s allowed more goals than it has scored, this is the Thunderbirds’ opportunity to clinch a postseason spot. The last time these squads met, Halifax took home a 13-10 win, and the stakes are even higher now.
Place a bet on all of this weekend’s games and find complete NLL odds over at Sportsbook.
Current Pick of the Week Record: 4-4
Past NLL Cup Champions Since 2010
| Year | Winning Team | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Washington Stealth | Toronto Rock |
| 2011 | Toronto Rock | Washington Stealth |
| 2012 | Rochester Knighthawks | Edmonton Rush |
| 2013 | Rochester Knighthawks | Washington Stealth |
| 2014 | Rochester Knighthawks | Calgary Roughnecks |
| 2015 | Edmonton Rush | Toronto Rock |
| 2016 | Saskatchewan Rush | Buffalo Bandits |
| 2017 | Georgia Swarm | Saskatchewan Rush |
| 2018 | Saskatchewan Rush | Rochester Knighthawks |
| 2019 | Calgary Roughnecks | Buffalo Bandits |
| 2020 | Season Canceled | |
| 2021 | Season Canceled | |
| 2022 |
What Is A Futures Bet On NLL Championship Odds?
Before lacrosse season starts, oddsmakers at Sportsbook release their lines on each team’s chances of winning the NLL Cup trophy. Placing a bet on these championship odds at any time before the NLL final is a futures bet. For instance, you could bet on the Toronto Rock to win the Cup in September, but you would not see the results of your bet until the postseason.
How To Read NLL Championship Odds
At your sportsbook of choice, you’ll see NLL odds listed like this:
Halifax Thunderbirds +300
Toronto Rock +450
Buffalo Bandits +500
Colorado Mammoth +800
Unlike a moneyline bet where there is a clear favorite and underdog, for an NLL futures bet, you would consider the team with the lowest odds as the fave. In this case, it’s Halifax. All non-favorites are considered underdogs, with higher plus (+) odds signifying a longer shot at winning the title.
Let’s say the season is about to start and you’ve done your research. You believe that it’s Toronto’s year, so you lay down $40 on the Rock to win the NLL championship. If they do win it all, you’d see a payout of $220 – your original $40 is returned along with your winnings of $180.
You can use our Odds Calculator to figure out what you’d win based on the amount you bet and the odds.
