Budaj takes crown as NHL shutout leader
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.