Kings staying patient with Clifford

Kyle Clifford is expected to be back on the fourth line tonight, and Terry Murray is OK with that. There was some thought that Clifford would be able to take a step forward this season, after a surprisingly strong campaign as a rookie last season when he scored seven goals and hit everything that wasn’t bolted to the ground. This season, Clifford has largely appeared tentative in both ends, and he has one goal in 27 games. Clifford’s ice time is down to an average of 8 minutes, 33 seconds, per game, almost a full minute per game lower than last season. There is patience on the Kings’ part, though, because Clifford doesn’t even turn 21 until next month and he’s a tireless worker with a great desire and capacity to learn. The Kings believe that Clifford will be a perfect fit on the third line one day, but maybe not just yet.

MURRAY: “There’s where he actually should be, is on the fourth line, in reality. That’s where he played last year. He showed great signs in the playoffs last year, had some nice success. You’d like to think that he can make a step up to the third line, and he will be there some day. That will be his position down the road. But again, second year, it’s not easy. His work ethic, his attitude, his try is tremendous. He loves the team. He works hard for the team and wants to win every night, but there’s a process that you need to go through, and he’s in the middle of that right now.’’