Tyler Bertuzzi's scoring, passion pulling Blackhawks back into the fight

Are the Blackhawks actually missing their two best forwards? Tyler Bertuzzi recently has made a strong case they’re not.

Bertuzzi’s second hat trick of the season Sunday fueled the Hawks to a 3-2 overtime victory against the Golden Knights, their third triumph in a row and their first in the second half of a back-to-back set.

He’s now tied for 10th in the NHL with 22 goals and just four shy of second place. Reunited with coach Jeff Blashill, who worked with him during his early years with the Red Wings, Bertuzzi is on track for a career season. But he’s not taking anything for granted.

‘‘It’s obviously cool, but I’m just going to stay even-keeled because in the past — actually, almost every year — I go through a 10- or 15-game skid,’’ Bertuzzi said. ‘‘So I’m just staying even-keeled and sticking with the program.’’

Even in blowout losses, Bertuzzi’s emotional investment in every game never has wavered. He was fighting for loose pucks with the Hawks trailing the Penguins 7-2 last weekend, for example.

And now that the Hawks are figuring out how to keep games close without injured Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar, Bertuzzi’s efficiency around the net is making a huge difference in those narrow margins.

Since the Christmas break, he has eight points in six games, helping the Hawks go 4-1-1 during that span to climb within two points of a playoff spot in the top-heavy, bottom-light Western Conference.

‘‘He’s always been a guy who draws you into the fight a little bit because of the passion with which he plays,’’ Blashill said. ‘‘There’s not a fake bone in Tyler’s body, so you see that passion on display. I think our guys feed off that. He’s done an excellent job. He’s played with that passion yet played in control.’’

Against the Knights, Bertuzzi ripped a wrist shot past goalie Akira Schmid from 31 feet out in the first period — the equivalent of a three-pointer, by his standards — before scoring twice in more typical fashion: five-foot tap-ins at the back post.

The first tap-in, off a pass from Ryan Greene, tied the score with 8:24 left. The second, off a pass from Ilya Mikheyev, ended the game 77 seconds into overtime.

‘‘Earlier in the year, we weren’t winning these overtimes and shootouts, and that’s kind of been the difference lately,’’ Bertuzzi said. ‘‘The extra points, they add up.’’

Routine change

For stamina purposes, teams never hold morning skates before the second game of a back-to-back. The Hawks, however, decided to convene for an off-ice meeting Sunday morning, despite landing at 12:42 a.m. flying back from Washington.

They only had done that once in their first four times in this situation, during which they went 0-4 and were outscored 27-7. The schedule change paid off.

‘‘We just felt like, ‘Let’s get them up. Let’s get that routine going,’ ’’ Blashill said. ‘‘We were able to get one meeting out of the way from the power-play perspective and also have another meeting with the five-on-five group. So I think that’s important.’’

Tight defense

Goalie Arvid Soderblom faced only 15 shots on goal, tied for the fewest the Hawks have allowed in a game since 2013. That included only two in the third period.

‘‘[We were] just being smart, being hard, being on the right side, taking away sticks, being close to them and not giving them any space,’’ Soderblom said. ‘‘I think it all starts with a mindset. We’re competing. We're not waiting for anything.’’