Clifford excited for next challenge

Among the Kings’ current group of 12 regular forwards and six regular defensemen, only five — Kyle Clifford, Trevor Lewis, Alec Martinez, Oscar Moller and Kevin Westgarth — have yet to appear in an NHL playoff game. Clifford, who turned 20 in January, is the youngest of the group, but Clifford already had his “playoff face” on today. That face included a nasty shiner around his left eye, the second such “souvenir” — that’s what Clifford called it — he has received within the last month for fighting. A year ago, Clifford was in the OHL playoffs (with Barrie) and the AHL playoffs (with Manchester), but now he’s excited to get a crack at NHL playoff hockey…

CLIFFORD: “I’ve been in playoffs before. I’ve been with Manchester and Barrie, but nothing is going to compare to this. This is it right now. It’s the biggest stage, and it’s going to be real exciting. … What happened in the past, that’s the regular season. It’s a whole different picture here. This is where I guess the men are separated from the boys here.”

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