This is the year the Denver Outlaws went from potential to playoff front-runner.
After an up-and-down season a year ago and an 0-2 start this season, it looked like Denver might still be a piece or two away from contention. Then they added those pieces in Jared Bernhardt and Logan McNaney, and now the Outlaws are the top seed in the Western Conference and a favorite to win it all.
The journey to Denver’s first PLL title and the first championship for head coach Tim Soudan starts near the finish, as the Outlaws await the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal clash between the Carolina Chaos and California Redwoods.
When the Outlaws see the field again, a spot in the PLL Championship will be on the line.
Why they can win it all
Denver has the most talented roster in the PLL, full stop. There is no position group that isn’t among the best in the league. Look no further than the league awards, where Outlaws are finalists for nine different major honors, including MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.
There is no real hole on the roster. The attack line of Pat Kavanagh, Logan Wisnauskas and Brennan O’Neill has found a way to play together and get the best out of Denver’s premier stars. Bernhardt has proven to be a difference maker in midfield and clutch in big moments.
The supporting cast, especially All-Star Dalton Young, is strong enough to carry the torch if the stars have an off night.
And that’s just the offense. The defense, anchored by Goalie of the Year finalist McNaney, is reliable, physical and able to generate offense in transition.
Denver’s proven it can blow people out or battle from a big deficit to grind out a win. On paper, there’s no reason the Outlaws aren’t the favorite to hoist a championship.
Biggest concern
If the Chaos are waiting for Denver in the semifinals, that’s going to set off some alarm bells.
The Outlaws dropped both games to Carolina this season. The Chaos are the worst possible matchup for Denver because of their physicality and Blaze Riorden. Jack Rowlett and Jarrod Neumann are disruptive and get O’Neill, Kavanagh and company out of sync.
Even when the Outlaws get good shots, Riorden has a tendency to swallow them all. In the first game these teams played this season, Denver had 49 shots, but Riorden set a single-game league record with 25 saves.
The Carolina offense is less of a concern, but the young weapons – namely Owen Hiltz and Jackson Eicher – both gave the Outlaws fits in the penultimate game of the regular season.
There are bigger-picture concerns for Denver in the playoffs. Can the shooting stay efficient? Will McNaney be at his best? Can Luke Wierman hold up at the stripe? But none of those concerns are as scary as potentially having to get past Blaze Riorden in the postseason.
Most important player
O’Neill is the X-factor that can take Denver from good to unstoppable. There are a lot of key cogs in the machine – McNaney, Kavanagh, Ryan Terefenko – but none is a bigger ceiling-raiser than O’Neill.
He also needs to prove himself in the biggest moments against the best competition. He’s taken a major leap in his second pro season, becoming an MVP finalist and finishing top-five in points. Can he play to that pedigree when his team needs it and when the competition is at its most challenging?
Key stat
The Outlaws are shooting 26.2% on the season. In their three losses, they’re shooting 22.3%. Neither number is great, but in the playoffs, where the margins are razor thin, Denver can’t afford a slow shooting day.
By the time the semifinals roll around, it will have been a month since the Outlaws saw the field. Shooting and offensive rhythm are often the first things that fade without live reps.
It feels reductive to boil a complicated sport down to putting the ball in the back of the net, but that’s what it comes down to. If Denver is efficient in front of goal and converts its chances, the Outlaws will be near unbeatable. If the sticks stay cold, it could be another one-and-done postseason.
