“Meet Tyler Bertuzzi: Boston Bruins’ New Mr. Playoffs”

Not everyone knew what Bertuzzi, the nephew of former hockey superstar Todd Bertuzzi, was up to. Although he debuted in the NHL six and a half years ago, he is playing for the Stanley Cup for the first time. In his former Detroit job, his season regularly ended early.

But it was a different story at the Michigan club’s farm in Grand Rapids.

In total, Bertuzzi played 137 duels in the regular season of the AHL and collected 82 points (32+50). However, in 42 playoff games, he scored 39 times (23+16), which is a jump of 0.33 points per game.

He shone the most in 2017, when he also received the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy for the most valuable player of the playoffs while winning the Calder Cup, the farm equivalent of the Stanley Cup. At that time, he was given priority over other leaders Martin Frk and Tomáš Nosk, the current partner from Boston.

“It seems like when it comes to the playoffs, he’s going to play on a whole different level,” he praised Bertuzzi for NHL.com his coach from Grand Rapids, Todd Nelson.

He also added a story from the regular season of the AHL, which he wanted to illustrate what kind of player Bertuzzi is. “He got a stick in the face and left the ice. Then the referee goes to our substitution box to see if Tyler is bleeding. He lowers his head and bites his tongue to make it really bleed. That’s why we got the power play with two minutes left.”

According to Bertuzzi himself, he does not remember the incident, but he does not dispute it. He likes to play on the edge, to provoke. In the current series against Florida, he caught the attention of opponent Nick Cousins stole a hockey stick and tried to destroy it on the switchboard. In addition, he gives away points, blocks shots, and fights in front of the goal.

“He’s one of those guys you really don’t want to play against, but you really like having him on your team,” star teammate Brad Marchand said of the 28-year-old Canadian. “He’s a competitive guy by nature. You see him in fights all the time, in places where it hurts a lot. It’s just frustrating to play against someone like that.”

Equally important is that Bertuzzi is collecting enough points. In the first four games in the NHL playoffs, he scored six times (2+4) and after Taylor Hall, who has one more point, he is the Bruins’ most productive player.

“When we brought him in, we thought he was ready for the playoffs,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery recalled of the Detroit trade shortly before the March transfer deadline.

By the way, after the exchange, Montgomery heard from the already mentioned Nelson, a former colleague from Dallas who guided Bertuzzi on the farm.

“He told me we were going to love him. He’s a smart, hard-working player with sharp elbows. I don’t think he plays with the same intensity in the regular season, but nobody does. It’s impressive to see how he can add intensity. Everything I like about him Todd said, it’s true,” noted the Boston coach.

Thanks to Bertuzzi, the Bruins have a 3-1 lead over Florida and are one win away from advancing to the next round.

The long-haired Canadian’s contribution is extremely important for them, as the team’s superstar David Pastrňák is only on two points (2+0) and the first two centers are suffering from health problems. Captain Patrice Bergeron has not started at all in this year’s playoffs and Krejčí was sidelined after two duels with an unspecified upper body injury.

Bertuzzi is currently playing on the second line with Pastrňák and Pavel Zacha. But more than the lineup, many Bruins fans are dealing with the Canadian’s expiring contract. There are already calls for club general manager Don Sweeney to work his magic on the salary cap and keep the prolific provocateur.