Detroit Red Wings forward Tyler Bertuzzi and coach Jeff Blashill answer questions Monday, March 12, 2018, at SAP Center. Video by Helene St. James/DFP
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tyler Bertuzzi is showing how much a contributor he may be in helping the Detroit Red Wings regain competitiveness.
In the aftermath of the Tomas Tatar trade, Bertuzzi has made himself at home with a bigger role, and hinted at goals to come. He’s brought his hard-nosed style of play onto Henrik Zetterberg’s line, and looked good doing it.
“You can see how well he’s playing away from the puck,” veteran forward Frans Nielsen said Monday. “Bert plays a hard game, he goes to the net, and he competes hard. He’s taken huge steps this year. You can see his game coming around now and you can see what kind of player he’s hopefully going to develop into.
“He’s one of those players we need in here. We have a lot of young guys who are very skilled, but he really has that other dimension to his game that’s important, too, like going where it hurts.”
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Bertuzzi, 23, goes into corners to fight for the puck, hovers around the net for tips or rebounds. He plays well away from the puck, which is key to his earning more minutes.
“A coach has to be able to trust you and not be afraid to put you out there,” Nielsen said. “He’s making good decisions with the puck, when to make a play and when to get it deep, and he’s keeping his game simple that way.”
Last Friday, Columbus saw Bertuzzi play 18 minutes, 51 seconds, a season high. He was one of the team’s better players in the game, even if it has yet to translate into scoring.
“He hasn’t had the production and the production needs to come certainly when you’re on that line, but he’s kept tons of plays alive with his work ethic and his stick,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “He’s a net-front presence guy but he’s got lots of poise with the puck as well, so he can make lots of little plays. He keeps getting those chances, he’s got good enough hands he’ll finish them for sure. He’s shown that in the past.
“Tyler’s a hockey player. Some guys get wowed by making fancy plays and some guys and some guys just do whatever it takes to score a goal and create a chance and that’s what Tyler does. He’s not fancy, he doesn’t look for the harder play, at all — he looks for the simplest play.”
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A Bertuzzi shot hit a goal post early in the Columbus game, and he’s hit a few of those lately, leaving him with two goals and 13 assists in 34 games. Monday morning saw assistant coach John Torchetti tell Bertuzzi not to let it affect him, to just keep shooting. Part of it is Bertuzzi still acclimating to the NHL.
“Sometimes I think I have to shoot it right away and maybe I have an extra second to take an extra step and get a better shot,” Bertuzzi said. “That’s the learning part.
“We’ve been generating a lot of chances. We get pretty good looks every game, so hopefully it will start going in the net.”
Playing with Zetterberg is good for Bertuzzi’s growth, as it was for Dylan Larkin in his rookie year, and as it has been for Anthony Mantha.
“Every game you can learn something from him — his work ethic all the way until he gets to the bench,” Bertuzzi said. “It’s awesome to play with him, and I think it’s going to help my career.
“Going into draws he’s always talking about what we are going to do and where I should be. He makes it pretty black-and-white for me, and that makes it easier for me to just go out and play.”
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Part of rebuilding is tipping younger, and seeing a young building block do well is tantamount to going in the right direction. The Wings are going to miss the playoffs again, but that doesn’t mean the last month lacks purpose.
“One of the things when we traded Tats, it was a real opportunity for Tyler and this was the type of ice time I think he needs in order to grow as a player,” Blashill said. “Ultimately I think he’s part of the solution here. I think he can be a big part of the solution so hopefully he gets great experience here now.”
Contact Helene St. James: [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.