Blackhawks’ Tyler Bertuzzi expected to return to lineup vs. Kraken

A spirited player is set to jump back in the lineup.

When speaking to the media, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill stated that he expects forward Tyler Bertuzzi to play against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night.

Bertuzzi was seen during morning skate taking rushes on the second line with Frank Nazar and Oliver Moore. Bertuzzi has missed the past two games with an upper-body injury. While it hasn’t been confirmed by the player or team, the ailment could stem from when the 30-year-old was hit hard into the boards by New Jersey Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon.

Dillon was fined $5,000 for the hit.

With Bertuzzi out of commission, Chicago has played well, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs last Saturday before a Connor Bedard hat trick powered the team to a 5-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Bertuzzi has missed three of the Hawks’ first 19 games of the season, but has been a consistent threat on the scoring side of things when in the lineup. The Sudbury, Ont. native has potted nine goals and six assists for 15 points, sitting tied for second on the team in scoring with Andre Burakovsky, both trailing Bedard, who has 29 points thus far. The former Detroit Red Wing is well ahead of his scoring pace from the past couple of seasons, which saw him score 43 points with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023-24 and another 46 points last year.

Bertuzzi had posted eight points in the four games leading up to his latest injury.

In 504 NHL games, Bertuzzi has scored 145 goals and 177 assists for 322 points.

The Blackhawks (10-5-4) seek their fifth win in the team’s last six contests on Thursday night.