BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Josh Byrne gave a virtuoso performance for a crowd of 17,561 at KeyBank Center on Saturday night. The reigning MVP of the National Lacrosse League matched career highs with seven goals and 12 points in leading the two-time defending NLL Cup champion Bandits to a 19-14 victory against the second-place Philadelphia Wings. “You hear about guys like Steph Curry and LeBron talking about being in a flow state,” Byrne said. “You’re not really pressing. You’re not trying too hard. It's just everything is working." Byrne had a sock trick by halftime, out-scoring the Wings himself in helping the Bandits build a 13-5 lead. After scoring twice in the first 7:10 of the game, Byrne had four of Buffalo's 10 goals in the second quarter. Byrne's seventh goal in the third quarter was a one-armed, underhanded highlight. He finished one goal short of Mark Steinhaus' team record set in 2009. The Bandits' other MVP, Dhane Smith a season-high nine assists along with a goal. He overtook Philadelphia's Joe Resatarits, a former Bandit, for the league lead with 38 assists (in one fewer game), and Smith's 48 points this season are one behind Resatarits atop the leaderboard. Byrne is tied for fourth with 45 points. Chase Fraser, who like Resatarits could be a scoring leader for another team, added three goals and four assists. “When you’re an opponent and you try to gameplan for us, you worry about all the other guys,” Byrne said. Starting the season 5-0 for the fifth time in team history, the Bandits are the only team in the league with fewer than two losses. Following their fourth bye week of the season, Buffalo hosts Albany on Feb. 1 to conclude a four-game homestand. *** Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.