Fastest/Slowest First Goal in Bandits' Game (2005 to 2024)

It took more than seven minutes for someone to score in Game One of the NLL Finals of 2016 between the Bandits and Rush. I received a tweet from a fan wondering if that was some sort of record.

And so, as a public service, I'm looking. It turns out the first goal in the first game of the final came later than any goal in more than two years, so our loyal reader was on to something. That number has been surpassed several times over the years.

Let's take a look at all recent Bandit games since 2005, including playoffs, starting with the fastest opening goal. There's a new leader for longest wait by a Bandits' opponent.

Time - Scorer - Team - Date
0:05 - G. Snider - Philadelphia - 1/26/08
0:07 - M. Hominuck - Buffalo - 1/26/13
0:09 - J. Walters - Rochester - 3/14/09
0:10 - D. Westervelt - Philadelphia - 1/3/09
0:11 - J. Thorimbert - Buffalo - 5/21/16*
0:13 - A. Malcom - Buffalo - 4/19/16
0:13 - M. Steenhuis - Buffalo - 3/21/09
0:13 - A. Iannucci - Philadelphia - 3/1/08
0:13 - T. Hoffarth - Vancouver - 1/21/17
0:13 - J. Byrne - Buffalo - 2/9/18

And now the slowest opening goal:

Time - Scorer - Team - Date
18:21 - J. Resetarits - Buffalo - 3/23/14
12:14 - M. Steenhuis - Buffalo - 3/13/10
11:45 - R. Staats - Halifax - 3/10/23
11:37 - J. Byrne - Las Vegas - 11:37
11:26 - J. Crosbie - Buffalo - 4/9/06*
10:51 - J. Walters - Rochester - 2/8/14
 9:52 - J. Tavares - Buffalo - 4/16/05
 9:44 - T. Kelusky - Calgary - 4/9/05
 9:26 - J. Crosbie - Buffalo - 3/4/05
 9:17 - R. O'Connor - Albany - 5/7/22*

 * - Playoff game

Let's take this a step further. What's the longest gap between goals by a team at any point in a Bandits game in this era? Here are the numbers, first for the Bandits' waits from the 2007 season to the 2023-24 season:

Time - Scorer - Opponent - Date
38:39 - Steenhuis - Rochester - 2/8/14
34:13 - (None) - Orlando - 4/18/10
29:07 - Gilray - Toronto - 2/9/20
25:37 - Cloutier - Halifax - 12/28/19
25:21 - Byrne - San Diego - 3/25/23
25:16 - Small - Philadelphia - 2/15/20
24:46 - Vyse - Philadelphia - 1/26/08
24:40 - (None) - Rochester - 1/9/10
24:33 - Byrne - Toronto - 3/16/24
24:31 - Cloutier - Colorado - 4/5/24

And here's the list for the wait by a Bandits' opponent:

Time - Scorer - Team - Date
39:04 - Martin - Toronto - 5/3/24*
34:28 - McLellan - New York - 3/17/07
33:27 - Craig - Toronto - 4/30/22
30:03 - (None) - Minnesota - 4/22/07*
28:53 - Kew - Albany - 2/18/22
28:34 - Wasson-McQuigge - Chicago - 28:34
28:17 - Bining - Boston - 4/24/10
27:35 - Prossner - Portland - 12/30/06
27:27 - Wilson - Minnesota - 1/30/10
26:22 - Small - Toronto - 12/17/22

* - Playoff game

Updated through May 7, 2024

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