Kings showing patience with Clifford

The Kings started the season with Kyle Clifford on the third line and Ethan Moreau on the fourth line, but over the past week, there’s been a flip. That’s attributable to the play of both players. Moreau has been solid, particularly in the defensive end and on the penalty kill, while Clifford has struggled to maintain the momentum he had last season, when he was a forechecking machine with an occasional scoring touch. Clifford, still only 20 years old, hasn’t yet met preseason expectations but is staying on a line with Trevor Lewis and (usually) Trent Hunter, and Terry Murray said he will give Clifford some time to get going…

MURRAY: “When I went through the summer and into the training camp, you saw where Clifford was. He was on the left side with Stoll. That was my way of thinking, after his playoffs last year, that he would just take the next step. It’s not surprising though. This is a young player that, I’ve seen many times (similar players) go through the process of taking a half a step backwards. I believe in him. I’m going to keep him in the lineup, keep going. He’s a very intense young man. He works hard, both ends of the game and off the ice, so he will push through to the next level and I think he will be a much better hockey player when he gets his game on track again.’’