Four things to watch in PLL Game of the Week: Atlas vs. Archers
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The PLL’s two conference leaders will square off this Saturday in Denver. Here are four things to watch as the New York Atlas and Utah Archers battle at 2:30 p.m. ET on TSN+:
1. Can Trevor Baptiste win clean at the stripe?
Trevor Baptiste started the season scorching, winning an average 84.7% of faceoffs throughout his first three games. That number dropped after he posted a win percentage in the 40s for the next three matchups. Baptiste looked more like himself in the last two games, returning to 76% and 70%, respectively. But it’s not just about winning the clamp against the Archers’ Mike Sisselberger; it’s about winning the faceoff clean.
The Atlas do their best work within the short clock on a won faceoff when there’s most of the 32 seconds left, not when they’re scrambling to beat the buzzer. And Sisselberger, a former wrestler, could cause some lengthy battles on the ground, wasting precious time within the short frame.
If Baptiste can win the faceoffs in one fell swoop and the Atlas midfield continue firing away within the 32-second shot clock, the pressure comes off the Atlas attack facing, as Zach will soon explain, a tough Archers defense.
– Lauren Merola
2. Can Utah’s close defense slow down the dangerous New York attack trio?
In the Atlas’ two losses this season, their attackmen combined for an average of seven points. In their six wins, Jeff Teat, Connor Shellenberger and Xander Dickson have averaged nearly 11 combined points per game.
Limiting the production of the three best players on the best offense in the league is no small task. But the Archers theoretically have the personnel to do it.
Graeme Hossack is a lockdown defender who can own a matchup. Teat will not be able to beat him off the dribble at will, so that matchup will come down to how well the Archers can play big-little picks, maintain matchups when possible and be decisive in switching and sliding when necessary. Teat makes scoring look easy – can Hossack make it look a bit tougher?
The complexities of off-ball defense is where the Dickson problem arises. Dickson is a third slide’s worst nightmare. He’s constantly moving, always cutting and always finds a way to get open, particularly when one of his teammates is dodging and the defense is rotating. Rookie Mason Woodward will draw the Dickson matchup in his biggest off-ball test of his pro career thus far. Can he stay on Dickson’s hands while maintaining his role as a help defender? He’s a savvy player for a rook, but Dickson is a challenge unlike any other.
Warren Jeffrey – the Archers’ second cover defender – will line up against Shellenberger. The rookie from Virginia has one of the most explosive changes of direction in the game. Can Jeffrey match his footspeed and shiftiness? Shellenberger has played hurt at times this season, but coming off a bye, he should be fresh and ready to take it to Jeffrey. The 27-year-old defender knows how to play to his strengths and negate his opponent’s. Whichever win out on Saturday will go a long way toward determining the final result.
– Zach Carey
3. Don’t forget about the Atlas defense, either
Perhaps the unsung hero of New York’s season is its defense. Against the Waterdogs before the Atlas’ bye week, it was the defense that closed out the game in the last 30 seconds to cause a turnover and claim victory.
It’s been Gavin Adler causing those turnovers (he ranks third in the league with 12). It’s been Brett Makar holding players like Marcus Holman, Asher Nolting, Zed Williams, Ryder Garnsey and Zach Currier (among many, many others) scoreless as the closest defender. It’s been Tyler Carpenter nabbing the most ground balls of any non-faceoff player in the league, and Liam Entenmann voiding deposits in net.
As the Atlas attack continues to get its flowers – deservedly so, as the highest-performing offense in the league, combining for 100 points this season – don’t forget about the defense, which can win the game for New York if need be.
– Lauren Merola
4. How does the Archers offense look without Matt Moore?
After Matt Moore suffered a right shoulder injury last week in Baltimore, he’s out this week against the Atlas. That poses an interesting question for the Archers against New York: Who starts at attack in his place?
Tre Leclaire filled in for Moore after he left last Sunday’s game. Leclaire is a versatile offensive threat who, by playing attack, would allow Grant Ament to continue coming out of the box like he has all season. Ament dodging short sticks has been a boon for the Utah offense, and by moving Leclaire to attack, the Archers would be able to maintain those matchups. That said, if Moore is out for an extended period of time, Ament may be the better option with his higher ceiling as a former Attackman of the Year.
Moore’s absence and the move to fill it will have ripple effects for the Archers. Rookie and Ontario native Dyson Williams will likely get more runs out of the midfield, while Ryan Aughavin will most likely be back in the lineup to replace the dodging and shooting gap that one of Ament or Leclaire leaves by moving down to attack.
Losing Moore means losing a strong dodging presence on the righty wing. Utah has the pieces to still run effective offense. But where those pieces fit into the puzzle is still yet to be seen.
– Zach Carey