Nobody saw this coming.
Peter Budaj, the AHL veteran holding down the fort in Los Angeles with starter Jonathan Quick on the sidelines, now leads the NHL in shutouts.
| Goalie | GP | Record | Shutouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Budaj | 45 | 25-14-3 | 7 |
| Braden Holtby | 40 | 26-8-4 | 6 |
| Devan Dubnyk | 39 | 27-9-3 | 5 |
| Tuukka Rask | 43 | 25-13-4 | 5 |
Budaj secured his seventh goose egg in a 1-0 Kings victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
It marked Budaj's third shutout in his past four outings, a stretch where he's allowed just two goals and turned aside 91 shots.
Through 45 games this season, Budaj has come away with a 25-14-3 record alongside a .923 save percentage. He appeared in one game with Los Angeles last season and played 60 games with the Ontario Reign, the Kings' AHL affiliate.
The 34-year-old was up for grabs after failing to make the Kings out of training camp, when Los Angeles placed the veteran goaltender on waivers.
Budaj is a pending unrestricted free agent. He earns a bargain $600,000 at the NHL level this season.
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