‘Sneaky' Connor Clifton continues to be an unexpected gift for Bruins

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BOSTON – Connor Clifton has earned himself the nickname “Cliffy Hockey” with his casual, relaxed attitude off the ice and his ability to stay poised in the big games despite virtually no NHL experience headed into these Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"Cliffy Hockey" was at it again Monday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, where he scored the first of team’s four unanswered goals en route to a 4-2 win and continued to contribute as the most unexpected member of Boston’s playoff lineup.

Clifton joined the rush on a fourth line offensive zone possession, and a nice pass from Sean Kuraly set up him to basically chip the puck over Jordan Binnington with a change-of-pace kind of shot. Later on, Clifton showed his ability to agitate when he drew a cross-check to the back from Oskar Sundqvist right in front of the benches and put the Bruins on the power play.

That penalty led to Charlie McAvoy's game-tying goal on the power play and turned Clifton into a major factor in the Black and Gold's second period comeback.

“[The puck] hit my skate and went in, you know? It was pretty simple. Not much more than that,” said Clifton, who went from the Arizona Coyotes' unsigned fifth round pick and a Quinnipiac University defenseman to a regular in a Stanley Cup Final lineup in less than a year’s time. “It’s been quite the year. It’s a special journey to be here now. The guys have been great bringing me up to speed pretty quickly, and accepting me and letting me play my game.”

Both of Clifton's two NHL goals have come in the playoffs, as he's totaled four points and a plus-4 in 13 playoff games while topping 13 minutes per game for the Bruins.

That’s up a notch from the one assist he managed in 19 regular-season games for the Bruins, as it’s clear Clifton starting to get more confident picking his spots to get a little aggressive offensively.

“He’s certainly not afraid to get involved," said head coach Bruce Cassidy. "We noticed that when we first saw him and it was almost a detriment at times. We saw him at a rookie camp in Buffalo, so he’s learned when to go and when to be a good support person on the rush. He’s done a great job for us since he has been here.

"He has the ability to separate so he can skate and beat his guy up ice, he goes to good spots, and that’s how he got his goal against Carolina, right in front as well.

"... He’s certainly a guy that can add some offense to the back end. Sneaky kind of guy, he’s not a guy you notice a lot, he’s not flashy but he’s certainly good out there.”

Clifton's development into a useful, solid NHL defenseman has come at an opportune time for a Bruins team that’s been without Kevan Miller for the entire playoff run and is always looking for D-man depth, particularly in the postseason. His play has been a considerable part of the B's separating from their competition in the last few playoff rounds due to their overwhelming depth. 

"Cliffy Hockey" has added to that depth this spring, and in doing so the 24-year-old is setting up a bright future in Boston along with the other talented, young members of the Boston D-corps.

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