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
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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.
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Bruins' Connor Clifton: Two helpers against Panthers
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Clifton picked up two assists in Monday's 5-3 win over the Panthers.
Both helpers came in the third period, helping the Bruins build a 4-1 lead they narrowly held onto. Clifton had four points, all assists, through the first three games of the season as he takes advantage of the absences of Charlie McAvoy (shoulder), Matt Grzelcyk (shoulder) and others, but his lack of power-play time will make it that much tougher for the 27-year-old to keep up anything close to that scoring pace.
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Bruins' Connor Clifton: Two-point effort Monday
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Clifton scored a goal and an assist in Monday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canadiens.
He tied the game at 2-2 with just under three minutes left in the third period by coming off the blue line to take a Craig Smith pass and wire it past Jake Allen. It was Clifton's first goal since Dec. 11 and just his second of the season, and it gave him his first multi-point performance of the year -- the 26-year-old defenseman has only six points in 46 games.
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Bruins' Connor Clifton: Supplies rare point
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Clifton registered an assist in Saturday's 5-4 shootout win over the Blue Jackets.
This was just the third point in 39 games for Clifton, who serves as a third-pairing defenseman.
Clifton exited the NHL's COVID-19 protocols Monday.
Clifton has missed the last four games while in protocols. The 26-year-old has averaged 17:42 of ice time and logged one goal over his last 10 appearances. He is eligible to play in Tuesday's contest at home against Carolina.
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Bruins' Connor Clifton: Won't play Monday
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Clifton will not participate in Monday's contest with Washington due to "testing issues".
Clifton and Derek Forbort experienced issues during their tests that will prevent them from playing Monday. The 26-year-old has averaged 17:42 of ice time and scored one goal in his last 10 games.
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Bruins' Connor Clifton: Lands in protocols
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Clifton was placed on the COVID-19 list Monday.
Clifton and teammate Derek Forbort had "testing issues" Monday and it's resulted in the pair going into protocols. The 26-year-old could be back in time for Wednesday's tilt with Montreal. He has two points in 22 games this season.
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Bruins' Connor Clifton: Participating in training camp
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Clifton participated in Thursday's training camp practice, Conor Ryan of MassLive.com reports.
Clifton, who tested positive for COVID-19 during the offseason and reportedly experienced mild symptoms at the time, was paired with Matt Grzelcyk during Thursday's practice. Though Clifton, who recorded a goal and seven points in 44 games last season, isn't much of a fantasy factor, he's a solid bottom-pairing option for the Bruins, who's capable in the transition game.
