CHICAGO -- Tyler Bertuzzi was finding his scoring touch again, planting himself near the crease and cashing in on opportunities. The Chicago Blackhawks forward, however, wasn't taking much credit for it.
"I mean, guys are making great plays," he said recently. "All I have to do is put my stick there."
Well, obviously it's more than that. Bertuzzi has been willing to take the hacks, whacks and other physical punishment necessary to get to the net and it's led to success. Bertuzzi has 17 goals in 51 games to lead the Blackhawks (16-30-5), who play the Florida Panthers (30-19-3) at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).
A second-round pick (No. 58) by the Detroit Red Wings at the 2013 NHL Draft, Bertuzzi has 289 points (130 goals, 159 assists) in 457 games with the Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Blackhawks.
The 29-year-old signed a four-year, $22 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) with Chicago on July 1 and has brought a physical style and net-front scoring touch the Blackhawks need.
"It's something we're taught up in Sudbury (Ontario). That's the way we have to play," Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno said with a laugh. He and Bertuzzi grew up in Sudbury and were teammates in Boston for part of the 2022-23 season.
"I've always seen him play and admired the way he plays the game. I think he plays the right way in a lot of aspects. And he competes, and that's what you’re seeing right now, his competitiveness around the net to get sticks on pucks, to be in the areas he needs to be in. He plays a hard game. You see him along the boards battling, he's on the ice a lot of times battling, on his stomach. But that's his competitiveness, and I think it drives a lot of lines."
It's certainly driven Chicago's top line and given center Connor Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, a steady linemate. He and Bertuzzi, who has played left wing and right wing this season, have been together since Dec. 23. Rookie Frank Nazar has been at right wing on that line since Jan. 16.
"I think [Bertuzzi] is super easy to play with," said Bedard, who leads the Blackhawks with 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in 51 games. "He's in front of the net, in the corners all game, taking a beating, and that's not an easy job. It gives me a lot of space and I always know where he's going to be.
"I know that I can trust him to be in the right spots, and when he is in front of the net, he wins all those battles. So I kind of just try to throw that into an area and it seems like he's been able to find a way to put it in or create a chance or just cause havoc. So he's a fun guy to play with."
Bertuzzi has gotten into a better groove during the past month or so. He began the season with 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in his first 32 games. But since Dec. 19, he has 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 19 games.
He said he just needed time to adjust.
"I'm starting to feel better, just coming into games and being better prepared," Bertuzzi said. "Our chemistry, me and Connor, just keeps kind of growing as we go. The biggest thing for us, and we talk about it, is being better defensively. The last few games we have, and we need to continue to do that."
Forward Taylor Hall, Bertuzzi's teammate in Boston in 2022-23 and in Chicago before he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 24, said Bertuzzi is "a nifty player."
"Not like someone who's going to stand out maybe in the first 10 minutes of watching him, but as you watch his game you appreciate how good he is with the puck, how bouncing pucks never get by him," Hall said.
"It's like a shortstop: every puck sticks around him, sticks in front of him. He has a knack of being at the right place at the right time, especially in front of the net. It's a skill. It's not something you can just start doing. He's very good at what he does."
The Blackhawks signed Bertuzzi with the hope that he could be a good option to play with Bedard and would be a solid net-front presence. It took a little time to adjust, but Bertuzzi is capitalizing now.
"He looks more comfortable," Foligno said. "He looks like he understands the way he needs [to play], and Connor understands the way he plays and can rely on him being at the net. It's really fun to watch.
"First of all, he's a great guy in the room and brings a lot of juice that way, but also on the ice, just the way he plays. He allows us to be a more competitive and gritty style of team."
