Clifton notched an assist, three hits and two blocked shots in Thursday's 6-1 win over the Rangers.
Clifton appears to be a regular on the Sabres' blue line -- he's been scratched in just one of the team's first 14 games. Henri Jokiharju and Mattias Samuelsson have fallen out of favor with leaky defense, and considering the Sabres have allowed just two goals over two games with those two out of the lineup, Clifton shouldn't be facing an immediate challenge for playing time. Clifton has three assists, 11 shots on net, 35 hits, 22 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating over 13 contests in a third-pairing role.
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Sabres' Connor Clifton: Supplies assist Saturday
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Clifton notched an assist and four hits in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Blackhawks.
Clifton has picked up two assists over seven contests this season. He's been a fixture on the Sabres' third pairing, doing enough to keep Jacob Bryson and Dennis Gilbert in the press box as healthy scratches. Clifton has added eight shots on net, 18 hits and five blocked shots. His highest point total in a regular season is 23 from the 2022-23 campaign, and he's also topped 200 hits in each of the last two years. He could be worthy of a roster spot in deep fantasy formats that reward the rough stuff.
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Sabres' Connor Clifton: Empty-netter seals win
Rotowire
Clifton scored an empty-net goal to seal Sunday's 4-1 win over the Flames.
The empty-netter is Clifton's third goal and 16th point of the campaign. The defender's minutes have gone up and down, but his offensive production hasn't been significant. In the 14 games before Sunday, he had just a goal and two assists. Moreover, he was held without a single shot six times.
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Sabres' Connor Clifton: Pots game-winner Friday
Rotowire
Clifton scored the game-winning goal in Friday's 2-1 victory over the Blue Jackets.
It was the 28-year-old defender's first goal in nearly a calendar year and first in a Sabres jersey, and it was also his first career GWG. Clifton snapped a 16-game point drought with the tally, but offense has never been a big part of his game. He's been a solid stay-at-home addition to Buffalo's blue line this season, racking up 141 hits, 79 blocked shots, 60 PIM and 12 points over 54 contests.
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Sabres' Connor Clifton: Big night against Toronto
Rotowire
Clifton picked up two assists while adding four hits, two shots on net, a blocked shot and a plus-5 rating in Thursday's 9-3 rout of the Maple Leafs.
The former Bruin hadn't been in the black in plus-minus rating all season until Thursday, when he erased a minus-4 mark in one fell swoop. Clifton has been a multi-category monster of late, producing seven assists, 15 hits, 11 blocked shots, six shots on goal, five PIM and a plus-8 rating over the last eight games, but the stay-at-home blueliner doesn't see power-play time and is tough to roster in fantasy formats that focus only on offense.
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Sabres' Connor Clifton: Delivers assist Friday
Rotowire
Clifton notched an assist, three hits and two blocked shots in Friday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights.
Clifton helped out on Casey Mittelstadt's game-tying goal in the third period. With five helpers over his last five games, Clifton has chipped in some unexpected offense from the third pairing. The 28-year-old has just seven assists all season while adding 63 hits, 44 PIM, 32 blocked shots, 21 shots on net and a minus-4 rating over 28 contests. He'll likely continue to play regularly, but he's not a player that should be relied on for point production.
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Sabres' Connor Clifton: Chips in with two assists
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Clifton posted two assists in Monday's 5-2 home win against the Coyotes.
Clifton recorded a plus-2 rating, one shot on goal and three hits in 17:11 of ice time across 21 shifts. The 28-year-old rearguard is on quite the roll, posting four assists with a plus-4 rating during his current three-game point streak. The defenseman's active scoring streak is his longest since Oct. 12-17, 2022 when he was a member of the Bruins. Clifton will look to make it four straight games with a point Wednesday night against the Avalanche.
Clifton is eligible to return to the lineup Friday against Philadelphia after serving his two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of New Jersey's Nico Hischier on Oct. 27.
Clifton was back on the ice for Thursday's practice alongside Erik Johnson, according to Paul Hamilton of WGR Sports Radio 550. The 28-year-old Clifton has one assist, 12 shots on goal. eight blocked shots and 23 hits in eight games this season. His expected return to the lineup Friday is projected to make Jacob Bryson a healthy scratch.
Clifton has been suspended for two games following a check to the head of Nico Hischier in Friday's loss to the Devils.
Clifton was given a major penalty for the hit, and he'll now miss an additional two games. The 28-year-old has averaged 15:29 through eight games in his first year with the Sabres, adding an assist and 23 hits. Jacob Bryson will likely take over on Buffalo's third pairing while Clifton serves his suspension.
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Sabres' Connor Clifton: Set for hearing
Rotowire
Clifton will have a hearing Saturday after his check to the head on Nico Hischier in Friday's loss to the Devils.
Clifton was given a match penalty and logged just 4:28 of ice time before the incident. Assuming he's slapped with a suspension, Jacob Bryson will likely slide into the lineup in Clifton's stead. Clifton has one point with a minus-6 rating through eight games.
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Sabres' Connor Clifton: Leads team in hits
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Clifton has a team-leading 16 hits through five games this season.
Clifton, who joined the Sabres in July on a three-year, $10 million contract, still doesn't have a point. He also has eight shots on goal, six blocked shots and a minus-6 rating this campaign. Clifton produced five goals, 23 points, 120 blocked shots and 208 hits in 78 games for Boston last season.
Clifton signed a three-year, $10 million contract with the Sabres on Saturday.
Clifton supplied five goals, 18 assists, 120 blocked shots and 208 hits in 78 games with Boston last season. Look for him to line up on Buffalo's third-defense pairing in 2023-24.
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Bruins' Connor Clifton: Two helpers in Thursday's win
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Clifton recorded two assists in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Canadiens.
He rounded out his night with two hits, two PIM and a plus-3 rating. Clifton has two multi-point performances in the last three games, a surprising surge from a blueliner who had only three points over his prior 17 contests, but playing for a team on pace to set an NHL record for regulation wins can have that effect. On the season, the 27-year-old has five goals and 21 points over 68 games with 187 hits, 101 blocked shots and a plus-24 rating.
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Bruins' Connor Clifton: Notches assist Sunday
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Clifton recorded an assist in Sunday's 5-3 defeat to Detroit.
Clifton has been dishing out hits in his last five games, registering 18 hits while also garnering one goal, one assist and 11 blocked shots over that stretch. While the 27-year-old defenseman should continue to rack up defensive stats, he shouldn't be expected to offer high-end offensive upside.
Clifton scored a goal and an assist on one shot, helping the Bruins to a 7-3 win over Florida on Monday.
Clifton opened the scoring in Monday's game off a wrist shot that beat Spencer Knight in the top left corner. The New Jersey native would also add an assist on Patrice Bergeron's first goal in the third period. This snapped a three-game pointless streak for the American defenseman and was his third multi-point game of the season.
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Bruins' Connor Clifton: Deals assist in win
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Clifton produced an assist, seven hits and a plus-2 rating in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Golden Knights.
Clifton had gone 10 games without a point -- his last scoring contribution was a two-point effort versus the Canucks on Nov. 13. The 27-year-old defenseman was a bit more productive than usual at the start of the campaign, but his limited role with the Bruins' defense back to full health has made offense hard to come by. He's at two goals, seven helpers, 45 shots on net, 78 hits, 30 blocked shots, 28 PIM and a plus-12 rating. Clifton's one point shy of matching the career-high 10 he recorded last season.
Clifton scored a goal and drew an assist during Sunday's 5-2 victory over the visiting Canucks.
Watching Taylor Hall cycle around the net, Clifton set himself up near the right face-off circle, anticipating a pass. It came and the 27-year-old defenseman delivered his second goal in three games. Clifton, who entered Sunday with just two points in his past 12 games, registered his first multi-point game since Oct. 17. He added three shots and four hits Sunday.
