Bertuzzi makes his case

When the Detroit Red Wings recently recalled left-winger Tyler Bertuzzi, Wings coach Jeff Blashill took the 22-year-old aside and offered some sage words of wisdom. Make your case. Force us to keep you here. “You certainly get to a point where you think this is your time,… Blashill explained to Detroitredwings.com. “I would believe that as a player, there’s probably some times you look and you know you’re coming up for a little bit and you’re probably going back down. “That’s why I made a point to grab him right away and say, ‘Make us keep you,’ because I wanted to make sure he knew that I didn’t want this to be a short-term thing, I wanted it to be a long-term thing. That’s one of the reasons why we were reticent to call him up earlier. We didn’t want it to be a roller coaster. “I’m sure he senses that this is his opportunity and let’s grasp it.… Mission accomplished. Bertuzzi has earned his wings. The Wings have told the left-winger, four games into his current call-up with the team from AHL Grand Rapids, that he won’t be making the return trip along I-96 and that he should locate a permanent place to stay in the Detroit area. It’s been clear from the outset that Blashill was a fan of Bertuzzi’s work. “He does lots of things that I think translate to this level and translate to hard hockey and the deeper the year goes,… Blashill said. “That’s why I think he’s been a real good playoff performer in GR. “I don’t think he was going to be somebody that necessarily led the league in scoring in the American League, but it always seemed like the harder the hockey, the better he was.… Bertuzzi was elevated to a spot on captain Henrik Zetterberg’s line along with Gustav Nyquist three games ago and has responded, collecting three assists and a plus-three rating in the past three games. “Zetterberg talks to me on the bench all the time, keeps me up, keeps me going,… Bertuzzi said. “I bring energy, I think, to that line and if I can get on the forecheck early and create some space for those guys, my opportunities are going to come.… In assessing what Bertuzzi brings to the team, Blashill offered him the highest of praise, comparing his compete level to that of 2007-08 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Zetterberg. “That’s how Hank is,… Blashill said. “That’s why Hank always seems to have great second halves, because the harder the hockey, the better he is. They just know how to play when the space gets even tighter, and I think Bert does that. “Bert goes to the net hard, Bert gets pucks out on the wall, but he’s smart enough to play with real good players. So I think he’s a good piece.… JVR DVR As expected, right-winger Anthony Mantha will be back in action Wednesday against the Ottawa Senators after missing two games due to a groin strain. Mantha split time with Bertuzzi in the net-front role on the second power-play unit and admitted he’s been studying a rival - Toronto Maple Leafs forward James Van Riemsdyk - to learn the ins and outs of being effective in that role. “My positioning needs to be better,… Mantha told Mlive.com. “JVR from Toronto is one of the best net-front players around. Blash showed me a couple of clips of things he does. I’m trying to learn and trying to get better. “Obviously, when we play them, that’s something I look at, or even any other team. I tend to look at the net-front guy and see what he does.… Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer