Pop quiz: Which Bruins defenseman has been on the ice for the fewest goals against per 60 minutes?
Nope, not Charlie McAvoy or Brandon Carlo. As I'm sure you guessed based on the headline, it's Connor Clifton.
Does that mean Clifton is the Bruins' best shutdown defenseman? No. Numbers only tell part of the story. But it does help paint the picture of how important Clifton has been to this depleted Bruins defense.
Let's rewind two months and remember that Clifton was not even in the Bruins' opening night lineup. In fact, he wasn't in the lineup for any of the first four games of the season. Jeremy Lauzon, Jakub Zboril and Kevan Miller had all won spots in the lineup over him, so he was going to have to wait for his chance.
When he finally got in because of an injury to Matt Grzelcyk, he had to adapt to playing on the left -- his off side -- for the first time as a pro. Coach Bruce Cassidy and his staff had tasked Clifton with learning to play on the left as early as training camp, anticipating the possibility of having to use him there since that's where there were more question marks, and he clearly embraced the challenge.
Since then, Clifton has played in 15 of 18 games, including each of the last eight as more injuries have piled up on the blue line -- to Miller, then to Lauzon, and most recently to Carlo.
Other defensemen have faltered when gifted an opportunity to play. John Moore has struggled. Urho Vaakanainen looks like a young player who still needs some seasoning. Steven Kampfer was fine but not particularly noticeable in his one game. All three have apparently been passed on the depth chart by Jarred Tinordi, who was claimed off waivers from Nashville on Feb. 27.
But Clifton? He's taken advantage of his opportunities, and has earned a bigger and bigger role as a result. There's still the aggressive "Cliffy Hockey" that's made him something of a fan favorite, but he's playing smarter now. He's been clean on puck retrievals and breakouts for the most part, often using his skating ability to get ahead of the first forechecker. He's been more in control than he has at times in the past -- both in terms of knowing when to pinch offensively and in terms of not taking himself out of position to chase a big hit.
Clifton has played over 20 minutes in three of the Bruins' last four games, including a career-high and team-high 25:38 in Friday's 5-1 win over the Capitals. He has led Bruins defensemen in five-on-five ice time in three of the last four games, and has only been on the ice for one goal against during that time. He has also taken on a bigger role on the penalty kill with so many regular killers sidelined, and that unit is 12 for its last 12.
Evolving-Hockey has Clifton leading the Bruins in defensive goals above replacement (2.7) and expected goals against per 60 minutes (1.69). His possession numbers and shots against totals aren't as impressive as McAvoy or Grzelcyk's, but where he's excelled is in helping to limit quality chances, as evidenced by Natural Stat Trick having him leading the defense corps in high danger chances against (7.56 per 60).
Clifton also leads the Bruins in hits (45) and has brought that physicality while taking just two minor penalties all season (plus one fighting major). His six takeaways this season are second among Bruins defensemen behind only McAvoy.
The Bruins have desperately needed someone to step up on defense with all the injuries, and Clifton has done just that. With Carlo now out for the foreseeable future, they'll need him to continue to rise to the challenge as he takes over as the de facto No. 2 right-side defenseman behind McAvoy.
