Fri 29 Dec  OTTAWA
Fri  5 Jan  NEW YORK
Thu 11 Jan  at Toronto
Sat 20 Jan  ROCHESTER
Sat 27 Jan  at Philadelphia
Fri  9 Feb  at Ottawa
Fri 16 Feb  at Columbus
Sun 18 Feb  WASHINGTON
Sat 24 Feb  at New York 
Fri  9 Mar  COLUMBUS
Sat 17 Mar  at Buffalo
Fri 30 Mar  BUFFALO
Sat  7 Apr  at Rochester
Sat 14 Apr  PHILADELPHIA

Missing out on:
TORONTO, at Washington

The second season for the Albany Attack opens easily enough, with home games against Ottawa and New York, NLL's two worst teams in 2000. The three playoff teams that follow will not be nearly as simple to conquer. There is only one multi-game weekend, and the two open weekends are well-positioned -- in early February, after the first five games, and late March, just before the stretch run. Philadelphia's visit in late April is the only NLL game of the final weekend, with playoff position surely on the line in a series that's already bitter enough as it is.

In what is quite possibly the most insane schedule in the league's history (challenged by Washington, below), Buffalo opens with a game in the District of Columbia, followed by five consecutive home games. The result of this slanted schedule is that after 10 February, the Bandits have only two home games, and they are within a week of each other. Then again, after that date, just three of eight games are against teams that made the playoffs in 2000, so even with the long road trips on the back end of the season, the Bandits are in good shape if they can survive the first half of the season.

Sat 30 Dec  at Washington
Sat  6 Jan  COLUMBUS
Sat 20 Jan  PHILADELPHIA
Sat 27 Jan  TORONTO
Sat  3 Feb  OTTAWA
Sat 10 Feb  WASHINGTON
Fri 16 Feb  at Ottawa
Sat 24 Feb  at Philadelphia
Fri  2 Mar  at Columbus
Sat 17 Mar  ALBANY
Fri 23 Mar  ROCHESTER
Fri 30 Mar  at Albany
Sat 31 Mar  at Rochester
Sat  7 Apr  at New York

Missing out on:
NEW YORK, at Toronto

Sat 30 Dec  NEW YORK
Sat  6 Jan  at Buffalo
Sat 13 Jan  WASHINGTON
Sun 21 Jan  at Washington
Fri 26 Jan  OTTAWA
Fri 16 Feb  ALBANY
Sat 24 Feb  at Rochester
Fri  2 Mar  BUFFALO
Fri  9 Mar  at Albany
Sat 10 Mar  at New York
Fri 16 Mar  TORONTO
Sat 31 Mar  at Toronto
Fri  6 Apr  at Ottawa
Sat  7 Apr  PHILADELPHIA

Missing out on:
ROCHESTER, at Philadelphia

Like the first-year teams before them, the Columbus Landsharks have a reasonable schedule for their debut season. There is danger in a late stretch of four road games out of five, especially since two games are against the defending champions. The home matches are spread reasonably well, always two or three weeks apart. Columbus benefits greatly by having two matchups with playoff teams bumped off the schedule. However, a three-week layoff in February and a two-night road trip through eastern New York could spell trouble for the Landsharks.

If the New York Saints are going to turn the corner in their rebuilding efforts, they will have to do it in spite of their schedule. Four of the first five are away from Nassau Coliseum, immediately followed by home games against Saint-killers Toronto and Philadelphia. If the Saints are still in the race when March arrives, the schedule turns in their favor, with home games against Columbus and Ottawa in the final four matches. A trip to Buffalo was lost in the imbalancing of the schedule, which is not necessarily a good thing; New York is notorious for giving the Bandits fits.

Sat 30 Dec  at Columbus
Fri  5 Jan  at Albany
Fri 12 Jan  ROCHESTER
Fri 19 Jan  at Ottawa
Sat 27 Jan  at Rochester
Sat  3 Feb  TORONTO
Sat 10 Feb  PHILADELPHIA
Sat 24 Feb  ALBANY
Sun 25 Feb  at Toronto
Sat  3 Mar  at Washington
Sat 10 Mar  COLUMBUS
Sat 17 Mar  at Philadelphia
Fri 30 Mar  OTTAWA
Sat  7 Apr  BUFFALO

Missing out on:
WASHINGTON, at Buffalo

Thu 21 Dec  at Toronto
Fri 29 Dec  at Albany
Fri  5 Jan  TORONTO
Fri 12 Jan  at Philadelphia
Sun 14 Jan  at Washington
Fri 19 Jan  NEW YORK
Fri 26 Jan  at Columbus
Sat  3 Feb  at Buffalo
Fri  9 Feb  ALBANY
Fri 16 Feb  BUFFALO
Fri  2 Mar  ROCHESTER
Sun 18 Mar  WASHINGTON
Fri 30 Mar  at New York
Fri  6 Apr  COLUMBUS

Missing out on:
PHILADELPHIA, at Rochester

If Ottawa can not survive the first half of the season, the rewards in second half will be horribly wasted. Six of the first eight games are away from Corel Centre, including trips to playoff-qualifiers Toronto, Philadelphia, and Buffalo. After the first weekend of February, though, the team doesn't leave Ottawa for seven weeks. Along the way, four home games will be held, including tests against Buffalo and Rochester. Bye weeks are scattered oddly through the stretch run, which could keep the so-far unnamed team fresh or could seriously disrupt their rhythm.

Looking only at the final three games, it is easy to say that Philadelphia might have problems staying in the playoff chase. However, that ignores both that four home games immediately precede it and that many of the challenges are faced early. Trips to Rochester, Buffalo, and Toronto are in the first six games, while none of the final five games are against that made the playoffs last season. A two-night road trip in February (through two cities that are not close to each other) might cause some difficulties, as could playing Washington twice in twenty-four hours.

Sat 30 Dec  at Rochester
Fri 12 Jan  OTTAWA
Sat 20 Jan  at Buffalo
Sat 27 Jan  ALBANY
Sat  3 Feb  ROCHESTER
Fri  9 Feb  at Toronto
Sat 10 Feb  at New York
Sat 24 Feb  BUFFALO
Sat 10 Mar  TORONTO
Sat 17 Mar  NEW YORK
Sat 31 Mar  WASHINGTON
Sun  1 Apr  at Washington
Sat  7 Apr  at Columbus
Sat 14 Apr  at Albany

Missing out on:
COLUMBUS, at Ottawa

Sat 30 Dec  PHILADELPHIA
Sun  7 Jan  at Washington
Fri 12 Jan  at New York
Sat 20 Jan  at Albany
Sat 27 Jan  NEW YORK
Sat  3 Feb  at Philadelphia
Sat 17 Feb  TORONTO
Sat 24 Feb  COLUMBUS
Fri  2 Mar  at Ottawa
Sat 17 Mar  WASHINGTON
Fri 23 Mar  at Buffalo
Sat 31 Mar  BUFFALO
Thu  5 Apr  at Toronto
Sat  7 Apr  ALBANY

Missing out on:
OTTAWA, at Columbus

In a dramatic change from previous seasons, the Knighthawks have a reasonable schedule for 2001. The second half of the season alternates perfectly between home and road games, with only one open weekend in that span. An early three-game road swing may cause trouble, but the opposition isn't expected to be top-notch. The real struggle may come late, when the Knighthawks close with three games in eight days -- two against playoff teams from a year ago and one against an up-and-comer that narrowly missed the 2000 postseason.

As a concession to their shared ownership, Toronto's season series with Ottawa ends just days into January. Playing the revamped ex-Smash that early could be a boost to start the season (they could be just as awful as they were in Syracuse), or it might come back to haunt the Rock (they could be pretty good, too). Also of unknown consequence are the Thursday night games, which could catch opponents out of rhythm, but could also do that to the Rock. Beware the trip to Buffalo a day after hosting Washington -- a disaster is possible.

Thu 21 Dec  OTTAWA
Sun 31 Dec  at Washington
Fri  5 Jan  at Ottawa
Thu 11 Jan  ALBANY
Fri 26 Jan  WASHINGTON
Sat 27 Jan  at Buffalo
Sat  3 Feb  at New York
Fri  9 Feb  PHILADELPHIA
Sat 17 Feb  at Rochester
Sun 25 Feb  NEW YORK
Sat 10 Mar  at Philadelphia
Fri 16 Mar  at Columbus
Sat 31 Mar  COLUMBUS
Thu  5 Apr  ROCHESTER

Missing out on:
BUFFALO, at Albany

Sat 30 Dec  BUFFALO
Sun 31 Dec  TORONTO
Sun  7 Jan  ROCHESTER
Sat 13 Jan  at Columbus
Sun 14 Jan  OTTAWA
Sun 21 Jan  COLUMBUS
Fri 26 Jan  at Toronto
Sat 10 Feb  at Buffalo
Sun 18 Feb  at Albany
Sat  3 Mar  NEW YORK
Sat 17 Mar  at Rochester
Sun 18 Mar  at Ottawa
Sat 31 Mar  at Philadelphia
Sun  1 Apr  PHILADELPHIA

Missing out on:
ALBANY, at New York

What happens when you make a late push to move into an arena that's already heavily booked? You get a schedule that's as lopsided as Washington's. The unnamed refugees from Pittsburgh will have played three home games before two teams have even opened their home slates. By the time January ends, Washington will have played five home games and begun on an almost-ludicrous span of six road games out of seven that will take them to every NLL outpost except Columbus and New York. Four multi-game weekends, seven open weekends, and the spectre of Sunday matinee games throwing the team out of rhythm will not help matters.