Though he’s seen time up and down the left side of the Kings lineup this season, judging from the lines at practice earlier today at Rexall Place, Kyle Clifford will be skating alongside Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown during tomorrow’s game in Edmonton. As stated below, his game won’t change.
On his role alongside Kopitar and Brown:
“As far as my game, nothing changes. Just go to the net, play hard, pop pucks out…good on walls, and just try and create space for them.”
On his versatility and ability to slot in as a left wing alongside various lines this season:
“My game never changes, whether it’s on the fourth line, or the second, or whatever it is. It’s just simple and hard.”
On shooting the puck with a greater frequency:
“As a team, we want to generate more offense, and that comes with shooting the puck and getting pucks on net. So everybody’s got to take their part in that, including me.”
On whether the Kings are trending upwards:
“I think we didn’t have the start we wanted yesterday, and as far as the last four games went, I think they’ve been pretty good. We’re going to come out with the same mentality and just have a better start tomorrow.”
Totally off topic . . . but WOW! Preds just got ROBBED by the linesmen in their game against the Avs. Duschene at LEAST 5 feet offside on a break and he scored.
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YuriM Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
@KDinUT, anyone got a video link of it? im at work right now so no NHL Center Ice
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KDinUT Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:26 pm
@YuriM, Nothing on NHL.com yet – but it may be one that they sweep under the rug, too.
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KingCharles of SaltLake Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:30 pm
Whats up KD Kings seem to.struggle in regular season? @KDinUT,
KDinUT Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 4:18 pm
@KingCharles of SaltLake, How you doing KingCharles? Surviving the bad air up that way?
goldielocks Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
@YuriM,
Here’s the video.
http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlp=8475168&event=COL149
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Michael J. Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:31 pm
@KDinUT,
Now Mason has given up 5 goals in 19 shots. Where was he when we needed him?
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Michael J. Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:34 pm
@Michael J.,
My bad, that was 6 goals on 18 shots!
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Duncanz Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:57 pm
@Michael J., Including 3 in like 30 seconds!
They need to stick Rich Clune at RW up on their 1st line.
That’ll solve things for ‘em..
KDinUT Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 2:24 pm
@Michael J., Just another backup playing like a Vezina winner against the Kings, eh?
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Duncanz Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
@KDinUT, Looked like a bad interpretation of the ‘defending player playing the puck into his own zone’ clause.
Funny how the Avs broadcasters equated it to the deflection off the official’s skate that gave Coyotes the winning OT goal against them the other night. That was a real good comparison.
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“We didn’t have the start we wanted” seems to now be code for, “We sucked”.
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Michael J. Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:27 pm
@Cav Pilot,
Or, “We really didn’t want to win very much.”
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fsd1 Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 2:09 pm
@Michael J., yea, im sure thats how the team feels, come on, get real
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Kings are just like the team of last season. We are built for.the playoffs not the regular season problem is making.the playoffs
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Michael J. Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
@KingCharles of SaltLake,
Yes, that is THE problem
Actually, the Kings are only what 3 points out of a playoff spot<
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linny Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 3:32 pm
@Michael J., actually 4 points out with 11 teams ahead of us as there are a few with 16. And we r dead last in points. So even with 2,3 games in hand on most, we have to win n those other 3 have to lose in regulation. Problem: these other few r going to b playing each other n someone has to get 2 points. We need to win about 5 in a row to get into a comfortable low seed playoff spot at this point in the season. Plenty of time for now but if we play .500 for another 10 games (which gets us to about halfway point into season), its not going to look good for getting into playoffs.
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jess Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:34 pm
@KingCharles of SaltLake,
Not exactly like the team of last season, but I agree with you 100 percent that the Kings are below average in the regular season. Even if we can get into the upper mid-range, that would be decent.
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That’s right Kyle, no need to change your game.
Brown will need to though, especially against the young speedy and energetic oilers. Brown’s big hits will help to slow them down and get them thinking twice. He needs to step it up and do this now more than ever without Mitchell or Greene in the line up.
Of course I’m not singling out DB as there are many areas which need work, but no one can deny that when he makes his presence known, the team gets a huge lift from it.
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MickSorley Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:36 pm
@jess, Yep, not so long ago you could HEAR when Brownie was on the ice. It sounded like bones crushing into a wall.
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jess Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:47 pm
@MickSorley, If only he could do a bit more of that!
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soo-do-nihm Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 6:25 pm
@MickSorley, someone on here (don’t remember who) keeps making the point that you can’t be a bone crusher every night because your body just won’t last. Right, I get that. Tell that to the D guys who are putting their own bodies on the line every night to try and make a play or something.
I just wish that Brownie would show up every once in a while and we can hear him on the ice again.
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xeropoint Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
@jess, Yes. Brown needs to play his game. Not the one he WANTS to play but the one he HAS to play. Kopitar needs to leave the boardwork to Clifford and get his big Slovenian rear to the middle of the ice. Williams needs to forget about the spaz-tacular game he’s been having and remember a time when he could make plays under pressure. Rick should keep doing what he did in Chi-town and Doughty should cross his fingers and sacrifice some chickens in hopes that WM can come back and log some minutes on the PK. JQ: no more happy feet!
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jess Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:44 pm
@xeropoint,
haha yup! And you’re right about Kopi, he’s returned to the TM days of skating straight to the boards in the O zone and sucking the moss off the glass.
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Clifford deserves to be on the first line. He’s been the only player who has played with any sense of urgency on the team.
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Munchrat Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:48 pm
@Jeff, Your reasoning tells me that he is right where he should be.
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California Royalty Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:50 pm
@Jeff, Maybe because he’s one of the players who doesn’t have a roster spot locked down? He does play with intensity, which is something no one else on the team has done all year.
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linny Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 4:49 pm
@Jeff, yep…as DS said, the best line lately is whatever line CLIFFY is playing on. I think he should triple shift him so that we can get 3 lines going
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Sweet Los Angeles. The city where offense goes to die.
Bringing up Toffoli won’t benefit him or the Kings. It will probably, as Dwight Howard would say, stunt his growth.
Yes the Kings need scoring, but when you start the game ‘playing to not lose’, it doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup.
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xeropoint Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 1:51 pm
@California Royalty, I’m in the camp that thinks it would (most likely) be positively harmful to bring up Toffoli.
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KC23 Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 2:11 pm
@California Royalty, So which forward to we throw away to wavers to make room for Toffoli?
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California Royalty Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 2:15 pm
@KC23, No one. Wait till Williams’, Gagne or Penner’s contract expires and bring him to training camp. I’m a big believer in Tofolli, but bringing him in to the mix now won’t do anything. Might as well let him keep lighting it up and build confidence.
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Someone yesterday said something to the effect of…the kings need two more cliffords to play with clifford. I think that is the best thing I have read on this site! True as well!
Dry Island anyone?
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keep it going cliffy……….don’t let up.
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@harty, I think Davis Payne ought to be your new favorite coach for the ‘favoritism’ he showed Cliffy in sneakily getting him onto the top line behind DS’s back, despite Cliffy’s modest salary for LA KINGS.
I guess it didn’t hurt when he had Alex Steen and Brad Boyes on his top line for ST LOUIS BLUES.
So what do you think
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harty Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 5:23 pm
@Duncanz, no favoritism in this move Duncanz its all effort, you know it and I witness it each game…….
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Duncanz Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 5:34 pm
@harty, I don’t know who I love more, Cliffy or you, @harty!
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harty Reply:
February 18th, 2013 at 7:01 pm
@Duncanz, I know you’re only yanking me around……….its okay, we know Cliffy deserves this big time……but for how long is the question??
I hope he can score a net full each game and gain a long term deal worth big doe, at least bigger then $870k
Being a King is very important moving forward, good things are going to happen in LA
Keep up the good work cliffy!
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Clifford,
Tell Brown you need some support to get more than one shot per game.
Tell Brown, there are too many guys on you.
Tell Brown ANYTHING you want to get him hitting again.
If that doesn’t work. Light him up in practice.
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Dear Cliffy,
While playing on the line tomorrow with Brownie, please teach him how to hit again because I think he forgot.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Your fans at LAK Insider
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You’ve done a great job Kyle! Keep up the good work! Maybe your effort will be contagious! I wish you success on your new line!
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