THE QUESTION IS NOT WHY, BUT WHY NOT GIVE COLIN WHITE A SHOT?
The all-but-done Senators could use a fluid injection that is available to them, and at this point, why not?
Penguins assistant coach Jacques Martin should remember this story well: In the spring of 2003, when the Martin-led Senators were in the Eastern Conference final against the New Jersey Devils, they lost Game 5 by a 5-2 score that pushed them to the brink of elimination.
Returning home down 3-1 in the series and in dire need of a spark, Martin finally relented to the public outcry by inserting a young centre he had previously considered a “boy” into his lineup of men.
In his NHL playoff debut, the rookie proved the people right.
With the win-or-go-home game knotted 1-1 in the third, he assisted on a Martin Havlat goal then scored one himself to give the Senators a 3-1 victory. Two nights later, Chris Phillips’ overtime heroics brought the series back to Ottawa for a seventh game, which the Senators eventually lost by a 3-2 count.
Today, Guy Boucher needs to take a similar gamble. Maybe Colin White can give the Senators something similar to what Jason Spezza provided the team 14 years ago.
It is certainly worth a try.
Granted, White and the Spezza then (and now) are different types of players. Spezza, a second overall pick, was all about offence. White’s style of play is two-way. Spezza had 33 games of regularseason experience when he took his first taste of the playoffs. White has two, and hasn’t played in more than a month.
But White also has excelled on the big stage that was Team USA’s victory over Canada at the most recent world junior hockey championship. He should not be overwhelmed or intimidated here and now.
It’s completely unfair to expect White to assume a huge role Tuesday night, with the Senators down to their last out.
But he doesn’t need to play a lot. Spezza made his impact with fourth-line ice time (11:22).
Boucher almost played the White card in Game 5 when he told the kid to take warm-up before deciding to add a defenceman instead. In retrospect, he must realize he should have followed through.
There’s an easy switch for Boucher to make. White in, Tommy Wingels out.
Wingels, who is pointless in the playoffs, had two goals and two assists in 36 regular season games for the Senators. He hasn’t scored in more than two months.
If Boucher’s argument is that Wingels kills penalties, well, the Penguins power play did go 3-for3 on Sunday. And he already has Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Zack Smith, Tom Pyatt, Viktor Stalberg, Kyle Turris and even Clarke MacArthur available for PK duties.
The Senators don’t need another short-handed specialist as much as they need a lift, an injection of new blood. Why not White? Before the Penguins left Pittsburgh on Monday, a reporter asked coach Mike Sullivan who he would call if his car broke down, the way Nick Bonino reached out to Phil Kessel when he had that problem on his way to Game 5.
“I would probably have to say Jacques Martin,” said Sullivan. “He has infinite wisdom.”
At least he knew how to pump some air into the Senators tires when they faced elimination 14 years ago.
Bobby Ryan doesn’t believe the Senators were overwhelmed by the pressures of playing in their biggest game of the season on Sunday. “I don’t think anybody has frozen under pressure throughout anything we’ve gone through this year, through any series,” he said after the skunking. “I don’t think that was the case. I thought the room was ready. I thought we were good before the game. I don’t think anybody was wide-eyed and gave them too much respect. I thought we just got run over.” … When the Senators lost 8-5 in Pittsburgh on Dec. 5, they followed up with a 4-2 victory in San Jose two nights and a couple of time zones later. When they gave up seven in a loss to Columbus on Jan. 22, they responded with a 3-0 shutout of the Capitals on Jan. 24. And when they suffered their worst whitewashing of the season, a 6-0 loss to St. Louis on Feb. 7, they bounced back with a 3-2 victory over the Stars two nights afterwards. From this you should expect the Senators to drastically cut down the goals again, if not win Game 6. Much of it will come down to how much character they possess. “I think it’s something we’ve had throughout the year as well,” Erik Karlsson said Sunday. “A letdown game like this, we’ve been good, we’ve been moving on from them. And we’re going to have the same approach.” … Another note for those who choose to remain optimistic: The teams that have lost by four or more goals in this playoff season are 4-1 in the their next game … Adding insult to injury was the fact that a 39-year old Mark Streit set up a 40-year old Matt Cullen for Pittsburgh’s fifth goal in Game 5. “We talked about that after the game, two old goats connecting,” Streit said Monday. “I think that’s probably one of the oldest goals scored in the history of the NHL.” … Matt Murray was looking forward to playing at a packed Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday. “It’s going to be a fun environment to play in, I think,” said the Penguins goalie. “The fans will be excited.” Of course Murray is enjoying this series since replacing Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 3. He has a 1.08 goals against average and a .958 save percentage, but the Senators have yet to apply some serious heat with Murray between the pipes … Craig Anderson summed up the loss with a shrug. “From top to bottom, it just wasn’t good enough from all the guys in the white shirts tonight,” he said. Fortunately for the Senators, they’ll be wearing their home reds on Tuesday