Connor Clifton Joins Sabres Live | Buffalo Sabres

Connor Clifton Joins Sabres Live | Buffalo Sabres

With Connor Clifton as we get set for tonight it’s game one of the home stand stand as you know uh Connor we’ve seen a big development in the defense core the last couple of games new pairings so the only thing Marty and I really want to know is tell us everything you’ve

Learned about Matias Samuels um he’s he’s great he’s he’s really funny um pretty easy to play with I think we haven’t played too much together you know the I guess since these last two games but we’ve been we wanted to play direct we wanted to play

Fast close hard and we just wanted to talk a lot and I think the first game for us in Montreal I think it it went really well um we played good we we did exactly what we wanted we wanted to you know One D to D and then we’re getting

To the net right um the old like J M and R Warner one D2D as soon as you go to two or three we’re in trouble like just get it out exactly be predictable for our forwards dzone you know make if you have to you know relieve pressure on

That strong side and get it to him over there on the weak side we’re going right that way the weak side can activate we can part of the offense um you guys had killed penalties together though right like you had been on the ice on the penalty kills so there was already a

Little chemistry developing that way a little for sure and I think you know sometimes we played with seven right or we went down to five on an injury um I think we played a little together but nothing crazy never really started a game together but I I think it’s been

Really good and we we can build from here and I think as a team we finally found our game um I think I’ve I’ve said that you know we’re a better team than our record indicates um but at the same time right our record is what gets us into the

Playoffs um so we got to grind and Claw back to 500 here and we can go you can use our young legs you know obviously a younger team in in in these hard months coming up win some games and and find ourselves in a playoff position now you

Started the season on the left side and I I know that everybody’s got to be able to play their offside But Eric Johnson mentioned at one point he went to you and says hey like do you want to switch and it felt like you got more comfortable on your natural right side

Was that a a weird conversation to have to say uh yeah help me out here brother I need to I need to move over but you know how did that develop is that him coming to you you talking to him how did that work yeah so I mean I hated my

First 20 25 games um I think after we hit 20 games it’s like okay you got to find yourself in a new organization and EJ had come up to me probably a week before that conversation and was like Hey like it’s fine I think we were in

The sauna and he’s like you know sometimes son conversations are always the best sometimes it takes 20 25 games to find yourself like you’re going to be fine like don’t worry just keep grinding and you’re going to find it and then a couple games after that was when he came

Up to me he goes hey uh let’s switch let’s try me on the left you on the right try to get you a little more comfortable and I think you know that was like the game where I kind of found my way and I finally started playing the

Hockey I can play yeah I remember Brendan Montour when he was here in Buffalo he played the left side a lot and I would watch him try to get up the ice but always get it on his backand and it it really limited his his his offense

And obviously we know what he had like the type of season he had last year in Florida but but is that one thing like joining the rush is it more in the defensive Zone what’s the difference between for you being on the left or on

The right for me I think I noticed the couple things uh dzone when you we break pressure and I get it on that left side yeah if I’m if I have full pressure here now I can’t expose to Puck to the middle to make a hard play on my forehand now I

Got to make a play on my backand either backhand pass to the middle or maybe you know jam it up with my forehand if I want to do that but you had to expose the puck right and then uh neutr Zone I noticed when I get that D over basically

I wasn’t doing a good job of getting my head up and looking at the strong side so the first thing I I see when the strong side’s over here I’m seeing the weak side so I’m I try to play a game where you know first play you see you

Make it right and if you’re playing against a team that clogs up the middle well looking to pickoff passes then I got myself in some trouble and then the last one I think is like ozone blue if you get like that slow and direct up the

Wall it’s like uhoh what do I do here you know you’re like thinking the angle with your sick yes you want to accept it on your backend and make a quick play to the middle to get a shot or you want to just you know you see this guy coming

You want to take it down and and again you’re on your backand but I mean at that point I wanted a really hard Rim right so I get some time and I see that guy back under the top of the circles and I have some time to go left right

Every sauna discussion by the way falls under the umbrella of EJ’s sauna discussion because of how he you know brought that culture to the team this year and it has me thinking that Jeff has been a little you know not in production mode this year between two

Stalls like maybe we need EJ’s Sona sessions as uh as the next viral sensation on our be a fantastic viral uh video EJ in the son I don’t know if you guys want to see that well you know I don’t know if you’ve ever done that but

I used to love the son and not to spend time in it just to shave like it just like came off like that’s from a guy who hasn’t had his haircut in months he’s he’s waiting to go bald for bucks so he’s a little itchy right now but uh uh

But that’s a good idea doer get on top of it you described the game so clearly like I as you’re telling Marty all that there like I’m just like wow anybody that is a you know learning the game we’re playing the game can really see what you’re talking about in those

Moments um but you also mentioned like playing against a certain type of Team um do you feel like now collectively the group has that compete that grind whatever that you are match you can match up well against whatever the opponents are throwing at you know what

I mean because I think we saw Marty’s kind of detailed it a few times this year with I don’t want to call them Trap Teams cuz that’s not really a thing anymore but it is neutral zone the rers still yeah like do do you feel like

Collectively as a group now you’re in a better place to ad that for sure I think we’re you know we’re we’re running on all C cylinders right now and I think the biggest thing for us is we we fought you know Puck management for a lot of games

And we’re doing such a better job right there’s obviously we have so much skill up front and we want them to make plays we want them to go score but some situations you know we were trying to make plays when it wasn’t there and you know sometimes it you know gave up goals

Because of it and we’ve just I think we’ve we’re we’re we’re a different team we were a month ago um and yeah I’d put us I’d put us up up against anyone right now any style we can you know find our way do you ever Marvel at uh and maybe

That’s the wrong word but I’m trying to give credit where it’s due like Seattle’s rattled off 10 straight games here with points when you start pre- scouting like do you ever just you know look at your opponent and go wow like they’re checking a lot of boxes here

With what they’re doing yeah I mean we talked about that this morning um I think they dropped a bunch before their win streak you know right so I mean that’s just a little hockey for you um and for us obviously you know we got a hot team coming in our building tonight

Um it’s it’s a good challenge for our group we just you know we played I thought in Montreal we played great and Pittsburgh we didn’t play as great right but we got the saves um and oie won us a game um and some timely goals some timely killed

Penalties um so I think that’s you know that’s what what we’ve been trying to find you know the past what are we 39 games 40 games 40 games now yeah I never know I’m always looking to Duffer are we at 38 42 I’m already like in mid mid

February right now exactly get me uh sit set straight up you were cheating over my shoulder earlier because I was trying to look at some stats for you mostly block shots and I think I peaked like the Rangers game at MSG you had like seven block shots I think that night but

I’ve seen you really getting away so two two- part question one how does it feel when you block a shot because I know some gu say it hurts like hell and some guys are like it’s no big deal you know just a little flesh wound or whatever

And two is that something that you are adding to your game was it always there the blocking shots type of uh of of part of your game yeah I think it’s I think it’s always been there I mean sometimes you go and you get seven blocks and sometimes you don’t have any

Right not due to lack of trying but just you know sometimes the other teams just shooting it at you um whether it’s you know getting your stick blocks or you know getting in the lane and and going on and eating a puck um where does it

Hurt the most for me it’s my feet oh really oh I hate it in the feet I even wear those shop lockers on the side it just feels like it never hits them yeah um it always finds the right area exactly exactly uh by far the feet for

Me um do you take your skates off after periods no so you’re like I don’t want lock it in yeah figure it out later you got any familiarity with the guys on the other side uh any Massachusetts guys no no Jay leech is my coach in

Providence I just saw him I just saw him over he was at the bench in the skate there well Duffer you’d be happy to know that uh I got a will borgan sighting this morning he was on the bench and a bunch of the staff went over to say hi

To him so that’s uh you know he’s hot he’s hot but uh no so but okay so do you like playing against guys you know more or guys you have no idea who they are more doesn’t matter to doesn’t matter I I knew he would say that he’s I used to

Love playing against guys I knew I was like I’m going to get you tonight and if I missed I’m so angry yeah you know especially as a goalie like I was like I don’t want him to score because I know him I don’t want him to score because I

Know him but that that’s just a little different I guess all right um you watched national championship football last night ah late start I watched the first three quarters yeah a lot of lot of punts in that second half Marty I was thinking of you like how how we would

Break that down was did Owen power stay up you think and watch the whole thing being a Michigan boy that he probably not his bedtime is way oh is he really way earlier than mine yeah no way I didn’t know that he’s what like okay so who’s the earliest bedtime you think you

Know of is 9:30 as an early bedtime or is 10 uh for oh for me like for I’m like what time are you like 11 okay 11 is not too bad 10:30 11 that’s not too bad you get a good eight hour sleep and then you

Get going the next day so what’s Owen at like 10 young guy I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s before that you know really yeah Paul Korea of the Buffalo Paul Korea used to go to bed at I’ll give him 10:30 :00 right so that it was like midnight Eastern I think that’s

What he used to do out west when he was in Anheim 9 o’ bedtime unreal unreal well he’s gonna have to adjust he’s got the West Coast trip coming after the homestand so he’ll be in bed at 6 on the west coast great con awesome to see you again thank You

Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton joined Brian Duff and Martin Biron on Sabres Live. He discussed what he’s learned about playing with Mattias Samuelsson, getting more comfortable after joining the team, sauna conversations with Erik Johnson, the matchup with Seattle, blocking shots and player bedtimes.

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