Previewing Maple Leafs vs Bruins Jeremy Swayman and Tyler Bertuzzi [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA1OTg5MjQ5ODM1NjA3Mzg2/usatsi_23107049_168393426_lowres.jpg] Jeremy Swayman and Tyler Bertuzzi When new GM Brad Treliving signed a cadre of free agents in the summer, it was clear he was looking toward the playoffs for his Toronto Maple Leafs. One of the most prominent of those free agents was Tyler Bertuzzi, who had just come off a 10-point performance in the first round of the 2023 playoffs with Boston - the team the Maple Leafs are now facing in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. And while Bertuzzi got off to a slow start in the regular season, he ended the campaign with 21 goals and seemed to be poised for success in the post-season once again. It's only been three games - and only one win for Toronto - but Bertuzzi has shown himself to be exactly the type of player the Leafs needed. In fact, they could use another couple of guys like him up front. "Everybody is important," said defenseman Morgan Rielly. "With 'Bert,' he seems to enjoy these intense games that can be physical and it's great to see, but it's up to everybody to rise to the occasion." Bertuzzi's strengths lie in his net-front play and his willingness to get dirty in the offensive zone. If there was a major fault in last year's Maple Leafs team, it was an unwillingness or inability to go to the middle of the ice in the offensive zone. That was one of the major reasons they lost to the Florida Panthers, and they weren't alone; the Panthers also took away that area from the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final and dispatched them with ease. The Vegas Golden Knights, however, had no problem stomping through Florida's defenses and the result was a lopsided championship for Vegas. And yes, Bertuzzi recognizes the importance of that coveted ice. "Definitely," he said. "You try to get pucks on net, converge on the net and get those secondary opportunities." His goal in Game 3 came as a result of his guile. Sure, the puck went off his skate and then off the skate of Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm before getting past goalie Jeremy Swayman, but it was Bertuzzi's positioning and willingness to get in front of the net that allowed the pinballing to take place. Bertuzzi has also begun a pitched battle with former teammate Brad Marchand, and the two had some epic sessions in Game 3, jawing and whacking away at each other. Infamously, no penalty was called on Marchand during one of those jousts when he sent Bertuzzi to the ice. The missed infraction was made even worse by the fact Boston scored seconds later, but Bertuzzi knows who he is up against and wasn't about to complain about Marchand after the game. "He's a great player," he said. "That's what he does and he's been doing it for a long time and I don't expect it to stop." Don't expect Bertuzzi to stop, either. If the Maple Leafs are going to wrest this series away from the Bruins, they'll need more players to go to the net and take the eyes away from Boston's goalie, because Swayman has already proven himself to be near-impossible to beat on conventional shots so far (and Linus Ullmark, who played Game 2, is no pushover, either). Toronto has definitely been physical in the series, so it's not a matter of intimidation overall - if anything, Boston's David Pastrnak seemed to be the most frustrated with how many times he was rocked during Game 3 - but with the power play sputtering and goals always harder to come by in the playoffs, the Leafs need to cram the Boston net more. They need to think more like Bertuzzi.
