News:Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) will play in Tuesday's Game 4 against the Sharks, Helene Elliott of the LA Times reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford missed the Kings' previous four games, but he will return to action Tuesday night with the Kings looking to go up 3-1 on the Sharks.
News:Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) is expected to suit up for Tuesday's Game 4 matchup with the Sharks, Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register reports.
Analysis: This is better news for the Kings than it is for fantasy owners, as Kyle Clifford has yet to record a point in five games in the playoffs.
News:Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) is not in the lineup for Saturday's Game 3 against the Sharks.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford did not play in the series' fist two games due to an injury he apparently suffered during the team's first round series against St. Louis. He continues to be listed as day-to-day.
News:Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) practiced Friday but has not been cleared for contact, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford's working towards a return but he'll need to be cleared for contact first.
News:Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) was on the ice for Friday's practice, LAKingsInsider.com reports.
Analysis: This is a step in the right direction, as Kyle Clifford sat out Thursday's Game 2 against the Sharks. His status for Game 3 on Saturday is unknown. Continue to view him as day-to-day.
News:Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) is not playing in Thursday's Game 2 against the Sharks, LAKingsInsider.com reports.
Analysis: The Kings remained tight-lipped on the exact nature of Kyle Clifford's injury, but his owners in playoff leagues should take a look at other options at this point. He hasn't been practicing and it's not apparent when he'll be back on the ice.
News: The Kings are expected to be without Kyle Clifford for Tuesday's Game 1 of their second-round playoff series against the Sharks, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford is currently dealing with an undisclosed injury, which he apparently suffered during the first-round series against the Blues. He remains day-to-day.
News:Kyle Clifford (undisclosed) missed practice Monday, Helene Elliott of the LA Times reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford did not play Friday against the Blues, and the team did not specify what exactly is bothering him. There's no word yet on whether the winger will be available when the Kings take on the Sharks on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
News:Kyle Clifford is not on the ice for warmups Friday and appears unlikely to play in Game 6 against the Blues, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Analysis: His absence from Friday's morning skate was thought to be strictly for maintenance purposes, but it looks like he actually may be dealing with some sort of injury. Expect the Kings to have a further update on his status at some point in the near future.
News:Kyle Clifford missed the Kings' morning practice, but it was more of a "maintenance day" for Clifford, as he is expected to be able to suit up Friday against the Blues, LAKingsInsider.com reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford took practice off as maintenance, as the series is full of hits, both team's have totaled over 200 hits a piece through their first five games. Clifford has been quiet this postseason, but has seen limited ice time on the team's fourth line.
Kings' Clifford Did Not Participate In Morning Skate Friday
News:Kyle Clifford missed morning skate Friday and may not be able to play Friday, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford has been relatively unproductive for the Kings thus far during the 2012-13 playoffs. He has gone pointless over their five games and has only logged three shots on goal. If Clifford is absent Friday, this is unlikely to impact the Kings.
News:Kyle Clifford took home first-star honors Saturday with two goals in the Kings' 5-2 win over San Jose. He added an interference minor and a fighting major, and finished plus-2.
Analysis: He's still quite a ways down the LA scoring column, but he looks poised to post career-best offensive numbers this season, even in a shortened campaign. At just 22 years old, he has plenty of upside.
News:Kyle Clifford scored the game's opening goal in Friday's win over Columbus, giving him two points in the last three contests.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford has a surprisingly serviceable seven points in 12 games and is giving the Kings a boost offensively. Odds are Clifford will cool off, but, for now, he's making the most of the 11:37 he is seeing per game.
News:Kyle Clifford, who was bumped up to the team's second line Thursday, registered his third assist and fourth point on the season in a 2-1 loss to the Oilers.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford was bumped up to the second line with Dustin Penner finding himself in the press box as a healthy scratch. The Kings have struggled to get much production from their wingers so far so Clifford could stick on the second line for awhile if he continues to produce.
News:Kyle Clifford is available to play in Thursday's Game 3, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford has been out since he suffered a concussion from being driven into the boards by Vancouver's Byron Bitz in the Kings' playoff opener on April 11th. However, according to Kings coach Darryl Sutter, it is unclear whether Clifford will play or even warm-up. Sutter said, "He's available. He's fully cleared to practice, if you get here for warm-ups then you're going to find out." With a two-game lead on St. Louis, Sutter is not expected to shift his lineup much, especially given the solid play of his third and fourth lines.
News:Kyle Clifford (upper body) did not skate Friday, the LA Kings Insider reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford was able to skate both Wednesday and Thursday, but was unable to Friday. Kings coach Darryl Sutter didn't say whether Clifford had suffered a "setback," but his availability for Sunday's Game 5 against the Canucks is looking doubtful.
News:Kyle Clifford (upper boby) skated for the second straight day Thursday but his status for Game 5 is uncertain, the LA Kings Insider reports.
Analysis: It's clear that Kyle Clifford is dealing with a concussion so it would seem unlikely that he'd be able to lace up the skates Sunday.
News:Kyle Clifford (upper body) isn't expected to play in Game 3 on Sunday, the LA Kings Insider reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford's been sidelined since Game 1 and hasn't resumed skating yet.
News:Kyle Clifford (upper body) will not play against Vancouver on Friday, LAKingsInsider.com reports.
Analysis: Consider Kyle Clifford day-to-day beyond Friday, as not much is known about the injury at this point.
News:Kyle Clifford left Wednesday's game with an upper body injury and did not return, the LA Times reports.
Analysis:Kyle Clifford was slammed into the boards by Byron Bitz which netted the Kings a five-minute power play but Clifford was unable to return after the incident. You can consider him day-to-day but don't be surprised if he misses a few games.
News:Kyle Clifford was whistled for 12 penalty minutes in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Canucks.
Analysis: The 12 minutes represent a third of his previous season total. Last season, he was sent off for 141 minutes in 76 games, so he's quite a bit behind that pace. He isn't among the league's elite PIM generators, but he's the best the Kings have in this category.
News:Kyle Clifford picked up his first point of the year Thursday, scoring a goal in a win over Phoenix.
Analysis: He's known more for his physical play, but the 20-year-old Kyle Clifford is not purely an enforcer. He picked up five points in six playoff games last season and has some offensive upside in the mold of a Steve Ott.
News: Clifford's first-period tally stood up as the game-winner in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Sharks. He added an assist as the Kings stayed alive in the series, where they now trail, 3-2.
Analysis: Perhaps this represents a transformation for the LA tough guy, from enforcer to scorer. In the five games in this series, he has seven penalty minutes and five points (3G, 2A), making him a particularly valuable all-around contributor. His plus-1 playoff rating also stands in contrast to his minus-10 regular-season mark. That being said, we doubt that his offensive productivity will continue, even if the Kings manage to move on to the second round.
News: In the second game of the Kings' first-round series against the Sharks, Clifford contributed to a winning effort with something other than his fists, logging a goal and an assist as LA won on the road Saturday, 4-0.
Analysis: In case you were worried that he'd gone soft, be comforted that when he was sent off in the first frame for -- what else? -- roughing.
News: In the Kings' regular-season finale Saturday, Clifford couldn't resist getting into just one more fight. He tangled with Anaheim's Sheldon Brookbank and was shipped to the sin bin, giving him a team-leading 141 PIMs for the year.
Analysis: It just might be that your playoff pool format emphasizes penalty minutes. That would make your league somewhat rare, but if that's you, keep the Kings' rookie in mind when you set your rosters.
News: Clifford (head) is expected back in the lineup Thursday, the LA Kings Insider reports.
Analysis: Clifford's been out the last two games after taking a punch to the face. He has 111 PIMs this season.
News: Clifford (head) won't play Monday but could return to the lineup Thursday, the LA Kings Insider reports.
Analysis: Clifford was able to do some off-ice workouts Sunday and isn't suffering from any concussion symptoms at the moment. He'll attempt to join the full practice Monday and Tuesday. Clifford's value stems from his 111 PIMs but it remains to be seen if his injury will affect his willingness to drop the gloves.
News: Clifford (upper body) will not play Saturday against Anaheim, LAKingsInsider.com reports.
Analysis: Clifford took a punch to the head during a fight in Thursday's game, and coach Terry Murray alluded to the league's new concussion-evaluation policies when referring to the injury. Clifford remains day-to-day.
Kings' Clifford Suffers Upper Body Injury In Fight Thursday
News: Clifford left Thursday's game with an upper body injury, the LA Times reports.
Analysis: Clifford appeared to get injured in a fight at the end of the first period when he took a punch to the head. The Kings had no further updates after the game.
News: Clifford skated on the team's second line in Thursday's loss to the Blues, the LA Kings Insider reports.
Analysis: Clifford logged over 14 minutes of ice time but registered just two shots and finished a minus-2 on the night. The Kings love to shuffle thier lines and continue to struggle offensively so don't be suprised if this experiment doesn't last long. Clifford has just seven points (three goals, four assists) in 39 games this year.
News: Clifford played just 5:18 Thursday against Calgary, but scored his first NHL goal in the first period.
Analysis: Clifford showed a bit of scoring ability in juniors, but the 19-year-old barely had any pro experience until this year and probably should be playing in the NHL or juniors to continue his development rather than seeing fourth-line minutes in Los Angeles.
News: Clifford is expected to be in the lineup Thursday and figures to remain with the Kings for the remainder of the season, the LA Times reports.
Analysis: Thursday's game will be Clifford's tenth with the Kings, which would make his NHL contract kick in this year. He'll have a limited role on the team's fourth line however.
News: Clifford, who has played in nine games for the Kings, could be sent back to his juniors team prior to Thursday's game against Dallas, the LA Times reports.
Analysis: Clifford's pointless and has an ugly minus-5 for the Kings on the season, but has drawn praise from the coaching staff in his last two games. If he plays in one more game for the Kings his NHL contract would kick in, however. From a fantasy perspective Clifford doesn't offer much upside.
News:The Sports Xchange reports after a midseason game last year, Kings coaches and management members were upset at the lack of a response after rookie defenseman Drew Doughty took a big hit from a Tampa Bay defenseman. The response, from coach Terry Murray and others, was swift and clear: stand up for your teammates. General manager Dean Lombardi drove home the point during the June entry draft when he selected a handful of players who built reputations for tough play in their junior careers. During a mid-September, two-game "rookie tournament" against prospects from the Phoenix Coyotes, the Kings got in no fewer than 10 fights or semi-serious scrums. The lead irritant for the Kings was Kyle Clifford, a 2009 second-round draft pick who got in two fights during the first game, then two more during the first period of the second game.
Analysis: Clifford has two more years of junior eligibility but, at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, already has NHL-caliber size and grit. Clifford had 16 goals and 12 assists for Barrie last season. He is pretty much being groomed as a checking-line forward, so Clifford really doesn't have a lot of Fantasy appeal as a long-term keeper.
