BUFFALO – By his 71st appearance, Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton couldn’t get that goose egg attached to his name out of his head.
As a defender the Sabres value for his gritty play, they don’t expect him to produce much offense. Still, he wanted to score at least one goal this season.
“I was thinking about it, trying to get that zero to one,” he said prior to Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at KeyBank Center.
Finally, in Sunday’s 7-4 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Sabres winger Jack Quinn grabbed a pass, skated down the slot and dished the puck backdoor from his knees.
Clifton and center Peyton Krebs both tried to convert Quinn’s nifty feed past goalie Jonas Johansson.
When the puck went in, neither player knew who scored. Eventually, Krebs skated to the bench first to celebrate.
“I didn’t know I got it right away,” Clifton said of his first goal since March 27, 2024.
Following the game, he learned he had scored his first goal in 80 games.
“(Krebs) said, ‘Oh, they gave it to you,’” Clifton said. “I said, ‘Oh, great.’”
Krebs said “both of us kind of hit it in, to be honest.”
“Either way, I was happy for him,” he said.
Entering Tuesday’s contest, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Clifton had compiled 15 goals in his 382-game NHL career. He scored a career-high five goals in 2022-23, his final season with the Boston Bruins before the Sabres signed him to a three-year, $10 million contract.
“I think overall, I don’t really value my play on point production, but I try to contribute here and there,” Clifton said.
Clifton, 29, understands his duties as a third-pair defender the Sabres added for his aggressive and physical style. Entering Tuesday’s game, his 204 hits led the Sabres and his 110 blocked shots ranked second. He had 15 points.
They want him to be a sandpaper presence. Sometimes, however, he goes a little too far.
“I think he’s prone to erratic play, but he’s given us, at times, some really good games, really good killing, physicality,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “(The) down side sometimes, the odd bad penalty that puts us in a tough spot.
“But overall, we know what he brings. He brings high energy. Sometimes with high energy comes you cross the line.”
So Ruff has occasionally scratched Clifton. The New Jersey native has sat out nine games this season, including four straight contests and seven of nine in late January and February.
“It’s a mental grind, because I honestly thought early in the season I was playing good,” he said. “I’ve been a staple on the third pair my whole career, right? So I try to play the hard minutes – PK, hit, block shots.”
Clifton’s ice time has also dipped when the Sabres dress seven defensemen. He played a season-low 9 minutes, 22 seconds on Jan. 23 against the Calgary Flames.
“It’s hard to leave that game and say, ‘Wow, I played good’ when you get such little time,” he said. “It’s more mental than anything.”
Clifton has recently enjoyed perhaps his best stretch this season skating alongside defenseman Bowen Byram.
“Defensively, we’re taking these rushes against, and everything we’re doing is together, whether we’re pressing the wall and squeezing together and trying to kill plays, or we’re backing in and taking away passing lanes,” Clifton said. “I think we’ve just been really talking a lot, we’ve been breaking the puck out great.”
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Sabres winger Beck Malenstyn missed Tuesday’s game with an undisclosed injury. With only 11 healthy forwards, the Sabres recalled winger Isak Rosen from the Rochester Americans.
Rosen, 22, has scored 28 goals and 55 points in 60 games with the Amerks this season. Tuesday was his seventh outing with the Sabres this year.
Notes: Winger Alex Tuch on Tuesday was announced as the Sabres’ nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded each year to the NHL player “who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community.” … The Sabres also scratched forwards Jordan Greenway (lower body), center Tyson Kozak (hip strain) and center Josh Norris (mid-body). … Former Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe (upper body) missed the game.
