Bertuzzi getting hot at the right time, scores two in Maple Leafs win

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Just his puckin’ luck.

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After Maple Leafs Tyler Bertuzzi banked a shot off Washington Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren early in the second period on Thursday, a thought occurred to coach Sheldon Keefe.

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“He gets one from below the goal line,” Keefe said after the Leafs soundly beat the Capitals 5-1 at Scotiabank Arena. 

“I mean, he couldn’t get one from above the goal line wide open with empty nets before. Now they’re going in for him, but he has worked, continued to put himself in good spots. Confidence, it’s a funny thing, when it comes and things start to go your way.”

It’s crucial for the Leafs, this late-season offensive recovery by Bertuzzi. He had seven goals in his first 55 games after signing that one-year, $5.5-million US contract last summer, and was on his way to being a major disappointment. 

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In his past 15 games, Bertuzzi has scored 11 goals, starting with a hat trick on Feb. 24 in Colorado, and including two on Thursday.

“It’s a credit to him to stick with it and continue to do the good things and not get discouraged,” Keefe said. “It’s important for our team. I’ve maintained all the way through this that Bert is going to be a very important player for us. He’s going to score big goals at key times and to me he’s building momentum toward that.”

What has been the key recently for Bertuzzi?

“I have no idea,” Bertuzzi said. “I’ve been doing kind of the same thing and just getting lucky.”

Another Leaf who has the chance to play an integral role into the playoffs, goaltender Joseph Woll, had a quietly effective night.

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In making 24 saves, Woll rebounded from a poor performance on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils.

From start to finish, the Leafs didn’t give much to a Capitals team allegedly fighting to keep its playoff dream alive. Alex Ovechkin had just two shots on goal.

The only puck to get past Woll was a deflection by Nic Dowd at 5:27 of the second period. 

“Team played great, made my job pretty easy,” Woll said. “It’s important to me to take it a game at a time and if I’m maybe not as sharp as I’d like to be in a game, try to put it behind me and focus on the next one. I thought I did a good job of that.

“I’ve been fortunate to be in the net a lot lately. That helps with just getting back in the groove of it.”

Keefe pointed to a save that Woll made on Caps defenceman Nick Jensen not long after Mark Giordano gave the Leafs a 1-0 lead.

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“We had a breakdown on the D-zone coverage and that’s probably the biggest chance of the game (for Washington),” Keefe said. “It’s a huge save. It doesn’t give them a chance to get life, gets us through that first period. 

“I thought the group took care of (Woll) pretty well from there. It’s a good response or bounce back, whatever you want to call it, for our team and a tidy night for Joe, to not give them the next one.”

In a rare occurrence, each Leafs skater was on the ice for at least one even-strength goal.

The Leafs beat the Capitals in all three meetings this season, outscoring them 16-5.  

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