GM/Head Coach Paul Day

Three teams, two playoff spots.

When the dust settles on the 2007 NLL regular season, one team in the tight West Division will be left on the outside looking in on the Champion's Cup playoff hunt.

The Edmonton Rush don't want it to be them so they'll need the best weekend in team history to keep their hopes alive. And two wins over their playoff rivals, the Calgary Roughnecks and San Jose Stealth, would improve the Rush's post-season chances in a big way.

It will be no small task taking down the Roughnecks and Stealth on back-to-back nights, but the Rush feel it's certainly within their capabilities.

"Entering the second half of the season, we felt we could win all eight games," said GM/Head Coach Paul Day.

"In New York we could have won that game but we've beaten Chicago and Toronto and I don't think there's any reason why we can't win every remaining game down the stretch."

How will the Rush pull it off? By following through on two critical aspects.

"We have to put 60 minutes together," said Day. "Last weekend we were very good for 45 or 50 minutes in each game. Against Toronto, that was out best 60 minutes of the year and that's what it will take to get two wins in a row.

"And we can't play so conservative. Against Chicago we had prepared a lot for (goaltender) Brandon Miller and we did well against him but when they put Derek Collins in we didn't finish a lot of chances and then we got too conservative and stopped attacking.

"The attack factor will be a big thing for us this weekend."

The Rush are hoping their attack will be firing on all cylinders right off the start of the weekend when they resume the Battle of Alberta against the Roughnecks. Calgary stole a 13-12 road win in Edmonton on Week 2 of the schedule and the Rush would dearly love to pay them back.

"It's always a huge game for us. This is like a playoff game for us and with the way things went in the game early in the season, it's just going to add a little flavour to it," noted Day. "We're looking forward to going into Calgary and staying in the race."

Assistant Captain Chris Gill

300
It's not just a great movie, but a milestone that Rush forward Chris Gill is rapidly approaching.

Gill needs just eight goals over the course of the final four regular-season games to become only the ninth player in NLL history to reach the 300 plateau. He entered his 11th season with 265 goals in 131 games and has added 27 so far in his first year with the Rush.

Other notables in the 300 Club are current Colorado coach Gary Gait and John Tavares of the Buffalo Bandits along with Colin Doyle of the San Jose Stealth and Shawn Williams of the Rochester Knighthawks who both reached the mark earlier this season.

By the numbers
Since joining the Rush Curtis Palidwor has been a standout between the pipes and the stats back it up. The veteran netminder ranks second in the NLL with a .783 save-percentage and is fourth in goals-against average at 11.00 ... The Rush's penalty-killing is No. 1 in the league at 65.4%.