‘He plays on instinct’: Connor Clifton picked the right spot to attack in Game 1

Defenseman Connor Clifton certainly isn’t shying away from the moment.

On hockey’s biggest stage in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night, the 24-year-old rookie bid adieu to any lingering anonymity when he notched the first of Boston’s four unanswered goals following a stagnant opening period.

“He’s certainly not afraid to get involved,’’ said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy after his team’s 4-2 win. “He’s certainly a guy who can add some offense on the back end. A sneaky kind of guy. He’s not a guy you notice a lot. He’s not flashy, but he certainly can get up there.’’

Less than two minutes after the St. Louis Blues scored their second goal of the night, putting the Bruins on their heels, Clifton sent a momentum-shifting blooper past goaltender Jordan Binnington. Off a feed from driving center Sean Kuraly, Clifton managed to get his foot in the perfect position to lift the puck up and over the stick of an out-of-place Binnington.

The slo-mo score ignited a TD Garden crowd that had been reduced to a low hum, and immediately sparked a chorus of “We want the Cup!’’ chants.

“Honestly, I didn’t even see it go in,’’ Clifton said. “I felt it hit me, then it went up, and then I saw a guy yelling, so it was a good goal, I guess.’’

Just one day prior, Clifton admitted he didn’t think he would even earn a spot on the Bruins’ roster this year, let alone be contributing in the Stanley Cup Final. Having spent the majority of this season, as well as all of last, in Providence, the lively skater made his NHL debut in November. A slew of injuries prompted his call up to the big leagues, but his postseason performance is showing he could be here to stay.

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With defenseman Kevan Miller, who has yet to skate during the playoffs, likely sidelined for the remainder of the Cup, he’s surely not going anywhere any time soon.

“It’s a crazy journey,’’ Clifton said Sunday. “Some crazy things happened to get me here. It’s all about opportunity. I’m trying to embrace that.’’

Monday’s goal — Clifton’s second of the postseason and of his career — boosted a group that seemed to be feeling the impact of an 11-day layoff. Among his other contributions on the night was drawing a cross-checking penalty from center Oskar Sundqvist, which helped generate defenseman Charlie McAvoy’s power-play equalizer later in the second.

Clifton was also a part of the defensive effort that limited the Blues to just three shots in the second period. Cassidy praised the youngster’s smarts, highlighting how he’s learned when to be aggressive and how to pick the “right spots’’ to attack.

“He’s got a little bit of that — you call it, ‘Cliffy Hockey,’ ’’ Cassidy said. “He just plays. He plays on instinct and right now his instincts are good to him.’’

With both Clifton’s and McAvoy’s scores, Monday marked the fifth time in franchise history that the Bruins had multiple defensemen score a goal. The variety in offensive contributions is nothing new. The team has relied on a collective effort throughout their postseason run, with 19 different players tallying a goal.

“You’re going to win a lot of hockey games like that,’’ defenseman Torey Krug said. “You’re going to have a chance to go far in the playoffs. That’s what we’ve had up to this point, and that’s what we had tonight. That’s why we won the game. It’s crucial.’’