Thursday night was very much about Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins’ No. 1 defenseman made his season debut and scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames.
But there was also another key development on the Bruins’ blue line: Connor Clifton remained in a top-four role even with McAvoy back. He remained second among Boston defensemen in ice time behind only Hampus Lindholm.
Oh, and Clifton also scored a goal, netting the Bruins’ first of the night -- and his first of the season -- when he pounced on his own rebound late in the first period.
Clifton was forced into top-four minutes early on this season out of necessity. There was no McAvoy to anchor the right side of the defense, and Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk missed four games apiece as well.
He has remained in that role because he’s earned it. When his usual D partner, Derek Forbort, went down with a finger injury last week, Clifton got moved up in the lineup, not down.
Coach Jim Montgomery put him with Lindholm, in part because Lindholm and Carlo together hadn’t really clicked the way Montgomery would’ve hoped (46.3% Corsi, 42.9% expected goals). Lindholm and Clifton together have very much clicked.
In 76 5-on-5 minutes with Lindholm and Clifton on the ice, almost all of which have come in the last four games, the Bruins have outscored opponents 5-0 and have 59.6% of shot attempts, 61.8% of shots on goal and 62.5% of expected goals.
Perhaps Montgomery’s plan would have been to split Lindholm and McAvoy up regardless, but the success of the Lindholm-Clifton pairing so far, combined with the history of success McAvoy and Grzelcyk have together, made it a relatively easy decision.
Now the Bruins have two legitimate top-four pairings, and neither one even includes Carlo. And that’s not even an indictment of Carlo, who has quietly excelled when he's been in a shutdown role this season. He leads all Bruins defensemen in shots against per 60 minutes, goals against per 60, and expected goals against per 60, all while starting more shifts in the defensive zone than anyone else.
Instead it’s a credit to Clifton, who has, at least for the time being, moved ahead of Carlo on the depth chart. He’s playing 21:34 per game, which is second on the team and the highest mark of his career by more than three minutes. His 8.21 high-danger chances against per 60 when he’s on the ice is the best mark among Boston’s D.
Clifton leads the team in shorthanded ice time and has been a critical part of the league’s best penalty kill, which now sits at 94.1% after a 6-for-6 night on Thursday (although Calgary’s one goal did come right after a power play ended). Most impressively, in Clifton’s 46 PK minutes this season, the Bruins have actually scored as many goals as they’ve given up (1).
Clifton also leads the Bruins in both hits (42) and blocks (22). While those stats can sometimes be misleading in that some players who rack them up do so because they’re often chasing the play or pinned in their own zone, that’s not the case with Clifton. The Bruins are a positive possession team when he’s on the ice, and he’s been active in the offensive zone as well. Clifton leads all Bruins defensemen with 27 shots on goal and his six points in 14 games put him on pace to surpass his previous career high of 10 points by Christmas.
Instead, the hits and blocks highlight Clifton’s toughness and ability to set the tone physically for his team, and without taking himself out of the play the way he has at times in the past. On Thursday night, that included a hard, possession-ending hit on a guy who did plenty of physical tone-setting during his time in Boston: Milan Lucic.
“He just continues to lead us in physicality, him and [Nick] Foligno,” Montgomery said.
Whether Clifton remains in a top-four role all season remains to be seen. But even if he slides back into a third-pairing role at some point, it may be in name only. After years of being in and out of the lineup and struggling with consistency, Clifton is now bringing it every night, eating up minutes, and proving to be a critical part of a Bruins defense that now ranks second in the NHL.
“Cliffy hockey, baby. Cliffy hockey,” McAvoy said Thursday night. “He has an exceptional compete level, confidence. It’s something that we’ve seen for a long time here, just how special he is. I think a little bit of opportunity is all he really needed to kind of explode.”