I want to say first and foremost that I was among the few that never lost faith in Tyler Bertuzzi. Even in the depths of his 19-game goal drought, he was working his tail off on every shift and getting his chances. Well, good things come to those who wait, and wait, and wait.
After scoring in Anaheim to break the slump, Bertuzzi went quiet over the next four games, recording just one point, but again, continuing to work his ass off. On Saturday, however, Bertuzzi shocked the Colorado Avalanche with a 3-goal performance, including the game winner with just under 3 minutes to go in the third period. It marked the third hat trick of Bertuzzi's career, but more importantly, he became the first Leaf in franchise history to record a hat trick on his birthday. Happy 29th, Tyler!
The Leafs, now riding a 7-game winning streak, seem to have really found something special with a new look middle six, and with Bertuzzi slotting into John Tavares' typical net front slot on the top power play unit. We can only hope that tonight is a sign of things to come and that Bertuzzi continues to produce from here on out. He's beginning to look more like the guy who scored 5 goals and 10 points through 7 games for Boston in last year's playoffs. He has a chance to be a massive difference-maker when the postseason kicks off, and all he has to do is play the way he has been lately.
