ST. PAUL, Minn. – A year ago Robert Bortuzzo and the St. Louis Blues advanced to the NHL’s Western Conference final, where they lost in six games to the San Jose Sharks.
Bortuzzo played a small role in the 2016 playoff run, suiting up for five games, including three appearances in the team’s thrilling seven-game, opening-round upset of the Chicago Blackhawks. But the Thunder Bay blue-liner was banished to the sidelines for most of the remainder of last year’s post-season, suiting up once in their second-round win over Dallas and once more against the Sharks.
This year, joined by Fort William North Stars teammate and best friend Carter Hutton, who will back up Jake Allen in the Blues net, Bortuzzo is playing a key role for St. Louis as they make yet another playoff push.
The 29-year-old saw action in four first-round games as the Blues upset the higher-seeded Minnesota Wild in five games and said the team is on a roll heading into Round 2 against the Nashville Predators.
“It’s exciting he said,” of moving on, interviewed after their series clinching game by Thunder Bay Television’s Jonathan Wilson.
“We didn’t make it easy on ourselves, but we did a lot of good things throughout the series. That’s a very good hockey team over there. It’s just an exciting time for our group and we’re just moving on now.”
While he didn’t factor on the score-sheet during the first round – he had an assist initially awarded, but later taken away – Bortuzzo, who had a goal and three assists in 38 regular-season games, saw regular action, averaging 21 shifts per game and more than 11 minutes of playing time per night.
Hutton’s role was a little different.
Although he was a solid performer during the regular season, posting a 13-8-2 record with a 2.39 goals against average in 30 appearances, 15th-best among goalies playing in 20 or more games, the 31-year-old is destined to ride the pines for the duration of the Blues playoff run.
Hutton is entrenched as the back-up to starter Jake Allen, whose heroics helped catapult the Blues into Round 2.
He’s happy to be along for the ride and ready to step in should coach Mike Yeo call.
Hutton, who spent three seasons with Nashville before signing last summer with the Blues as a free agent, is hoping to provide a little insight into what the team might expect against a team that surprised the hockey world and swept the Blackhawks out of the post-season in four games.
While he doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself or the goals of the team, he admitted it would be pretty cool to bring the Stanley Cup home this summer with his best buddy Bortuzzo.
“It’s awesome. Robert and I have been pretty close over the past 10 years. We played together in junior and we train every summer. It’s amazing, especially moving on here. We’re excited and that was one of the big reasons I wanted to come to St. Louis, to be able to play with him and have a good team. We’re showing it now.”
Game 1 between the Blues and Predators is Wednesday night.
-- With files from Jonathan Wilson, Thunder Bay Television News
