Rather than talk about the entire game for Guelph and London we will keep things short and only talk about Tyler Bertuzzi’s highlight and lowlights throughout the game.
Highlights:
Kevin Klima of the London Knights went to the box on a double minor for high-sticking and the Storm went to a power play. Tyler Bertuzzi plays the net front on the power play for Guelph and does a great job.
On the second two-minute minor for Klima, the Storm defense took a shot that missed the net, but Bertuzzi recognized it and was the first player on the puck and realized the Knight’s goaltender slide too far to the left on the shot, so he went around the net and fed Fabbri for the empty net.
Bertuzzi’s first goal of the game showed the effort he puts in when on the ice. He broke up the break out pass, found Fabbri for the shot and then crashed the net looking for the rebound and that is exactly what he found when he arrived at the net. He was able to swat the puck past the goalie and give Guelph a two-goal lead.
On the next power play chance for Guelph, Tyler Bertuzzi found his usual spot in front of the Knights’ goaltender and when the Storm defenseman’s shot was heading towards the net, Bertuzzi got his stick on the puck to deflect it in.
Just before the first period, was up Bertuzzi had one more chance on net, but a quick blocker robbed him of a natural hat trick.
Right of the second period face-off, Tyler Bertuzzi found the defenseman with the puck and crushed him into the boards. It was his only big hit in the game.
Later in the second, a Storm defenseman threw the puck up the ice too hard, but Tyler Bertuzzi raced after it and reached the puck just before it crossed the goal line. If that was not enough, Bertuzzi had to wait for his teammate to get down ice, so he fended off two Knights in the corner, passed the puck off, and then went directly to the net looking for a rebound. The Red Wings like hustlers and that is something Bertuzzi certainly brings to the table.
After Bertuzzi came out of the box due to an unsportsmanlike penalty, Guelph was on a six second five-on-three power play and Bertuzzi was able to pick up the puck and skate into London’s zone unabated. Bertuzzi faked the shot and sent the puck across the net to Fabbri for the goal.
After two periods, Bertuzzi has five points on six goals for Guelph.
Late in the third period, Bertuzzi picked up a loose puck in front of Guelph’s net and saw Suter breaking down the middle of the ice and toss a long saucer pass his way that hit his tape on the London blue line. Suter went into the Knight’s zone on a breakaway and buried the puck.
London took another penalty with five minutes left in the game and just a minute later after Bertuzzi’s line hit the ice for the power play, Bertuzzi beat the defender to the puck in the corner, and took to towards the blue line before sending a cross-ice pass between his legs to Fabbri, who gave the puck to his defenseman for the goal.
Tyler Bertuzzi picked up two goals and five assists in the game and Guelph’s first line together picked up eighteen points on the night.
Lowlights:
Guelph was on the five-on-three penalty kill eight minutes in the first period and instead of having two defensemen on the ice, Guelph had Fabbri and Bertuzzi out with one defenseman. When the Knight’s were breaking into the zone, Bertuzzi stepped up to early and lost his man. The Guelph defender fell behind him and Fabbri was a bit late picking up the man on the backdoor.
If Bertuzzi had keep the attacking player on the outside and allowed him a bit farther into the zone, then I do not believe that play would have developed.
Two penalties were called against Bertuzzi in the game, one three minutes into the first period for hooking – which means he stopped moving his skates – and another in the second period, which was much worse.
Throughout the game, Tyler Bertuzzi would talk to the referee after the whistle and whether or not he was jawing at them about calls or asking about their day, it got on the nerves of one of the referees. As Bertuzzi skated by and said something to the referee, the referee immediately gave him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Bertuzzi has matured leaps and bounds since the Detroit Red Wings drafted him in the second round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, but this was a terrible penalty for him to take. Sometimes the player just needs to let things go and not continually talk to the referee throughout the game.
Like I said before, I am not sure what messages were passed between Bertuzzi and the referee, but throughout the rest of the game, he did not talk to that ref again, so at least he is learning.
Not really a lowlight for Tyler Bertuzzi, but it most likely stems from the unsportsmanlike penalty. Because of the penalty, Bertuzzi was not going to get any calls his way tonight and it showed in the third period.
Bertuzzi was pitchforked in front of the net London net and dropped to the ice, but there was no call. Then with seven minutes left, Bertuzzi was taken down again in the London zone with no whistle blown.
Quick Notes on Tyler Bertuzzi:
Tyler Bertuzzi was named the first star of the game.
What was missing from Bertuzzi during Guelph’s first period was his patented hitting, but with four points in the first period on Guelph’s five goals, maybe he should skip the overly physical play more often.
Bertuzzi is an emotional player and shows it when he lays a big hit on a player, is on the ice when his team scores, or when he scores.
When Guelph was up eight to four late in the period against London, he became a bit cocky and flashy with his passing to put on a show, but he was well contained when the puck was not on his stick.
Tyler Bertuzzi and Guelph’s top two line did not see any action in the last three to four minutes of the game.
Franchise Record:
Tyler Bertuzzi set a Guelph Storm franchise record by picking up seven points in yesterday’s victory against the London Knights.