The 2024-25 NLL regular season is heating up as the league prepares for the start of playoffs, with the Ottawa Black Bears in the midst of a tight race to claim one of the remaining playoff positions.
Of the fourteen teams in the NLL, only the top eight make it into the playoffs. Standings are determined by teams’ win percentages, which is calculated by dividing the number of wins a team has by the number of games they have played. Therefore, the eight teams with the highest win percentages will make the playoffs.
The NLL Playoffs are fast, vicious, and intense.
A team’s rank in the standings doesn’t just determine whether or not they’ll make the playoffs. Once in, where a team finishes in the standings will dictate who they play and where their game will take place. The best-seeded team hosts each quarterfinal matchup, and thus has home advantage.
The No. 1 team will face the No. 8 team, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5.
The quarterfinals take place in the form of four single elimination games. Win your game and you move on, lose and you’re out.
Following the quarterfinals, both the semifinal and final rounds will take place in a best-of-three format. This means the first team in each matchup to win two games moves on.
Black Bears fans can do their part to support the team in their hunt for the playoffs by cheering them on this Saturday when they take on the Saskatchewan Rush at 9:00 p.m. ET. Tune in on NLL+ for free to watch!
