The fight for playoff seeds and home-field advantage continues this weekend when the Colorado Mammoth faces a pair of hard-hitting, high-intensity matchups with the East Division elite.

Thursday, the Mammoth hosts the Rochester Knighthawks, a team usually on top of the division, but currently struggling with a 5-6 record. Superstar John Grant and high-scoring forwards Shawn Williams and Scott Evans lead the Knighthawks into Pepsi Center. The Knighthawks are coming off a big win and look to keep the momentum rolling after beating the East Division leader Philadelphia Wings 20-12 last weekend.

The Mammoth has a slight edge over Rochester with a 3-2 franchise series lead, outscoring the Knighthawks 74-67. The Mammoth has stumbled mid-season, winning just one of its past five games. But following performances like Brian Langtry’s nine-goal game two weeks ago in Portland, the Mammoth looks to change things and improve upon its 4-2 home record.

Saturday, the Mammoth travels to Buffalo to face off against the NLL’s all-time leading scorer John Tavares and his Bandits at the HSBC Arena. The Bandits find themselves in the middle of the pack in the East with a 7-5 record and are looking to move up in the ranks as the playoffs are on the horizon.

The Mammoth looks to stay on top of the West Division by extending its 6-4 record with two wins this week, although just win will clinch a playoff berth.

“This weekend is a great opportunity to start off the run for the playoffs,” Mammoth general manager Steve Govett said. “The trade deadline is behind us, our roster is set and we’ve had the last off of our off weekends. It’s time to find that team chemistry and get our momentum going toward the postseason.”