LDN - Sports

Budaj, Kings shut out Avalanche

[February 02, 2017] LOS ANGELES -- With an upcoming four-game road trip, the Los Angeles Kings believed it was crucial to start well after the All-Star break.

Mission accomplished the past two nights.

Jeff Carter scored twice and goalie Peter Budaj recorded his sixth shutout as the Kings crushed the Colorado Avalanche 5-0 Wednesday night at Staples Center.

Marian Gaborik, Dustin Brown and Dwight King also scored goals for the Kings, who won their fourth in a row and their second since the break. Carter, who leads the Kings with 26 goals, tallied his sixth multi-goal game of the season.

Budaj, an ex-Avalanche player, stopped 22 shots and earned his second shutout in three games. He made 30 saves Tuesday in a 3-2 win at Arizona.

"Playing up here is an experience I could have never imagined," said Budaj, who is 24-14-3 this season since taking over for injured netminder Jonathan Quick in the first game of the season. "I'm just very thankful to be here. The team is playing great in front of me. We have a great group of guys."

Brown, who also had an assist, said the win was crucial since the Kings journey to Philadelphia, Washington, Tampa Bay and Florida beginning Saturday.

"Going into the break was key, then coming out of break was key, and now we go on the road for four before we have another break," said Brown, who has seven goals this season. "So you look at it, you can really kind of focus on these four games coming up. It was important to get this win, one quick home game. (We) just have to go on the road playing well."

Budaj agreed.

"Definitely, it's huge," Budaj said of the win. "We're trying to do whatever it takes to get as many points as possible. It's very important for us. You can see the standings, it's a tight race. Everybody keeps winning, it seems like nobody is losing points. So, we're doing the best we can to try to win, it's a big win for us so we can start off the trip on the right foot."

Goaltender Spencer Martin made 35 saves for the Avalanche, who dropped their ninth consecutive game.

The result boosted Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter past Bryan Murray to 11th on the all-time NHL wins list at 621.

Kings center Jordan Nolan sustained a lower-body injury in the second period and did not return.

The Kings (26-21-4) scored three first-period goals on 11 shots. Gaborik delivered the first one 47 seconds into the game by squeezing a shot past Martin from just outside the crease during a scrum. It was Gaborik's sixth goal this season.

Carter made it 2-0 with a power-play goal from the left circle that went through the legs of Kings left winger Tanner Pearson and past Martin at 7:15.

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Kings goalie Peter Budaj (31) blocks a shot as defenseman Jake Muzzin (6) helps defend against Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) during the first period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Defenseman Drew Doughty assisted on the goal, extending his assist streak to a career-best six games. It is the longest run of points or assists by a Kings player this season.

With 2:18 left in the period, Carter punched in an errant puck for a 3-0 edge.

"In the first period, what they did is they threw everything at the net and got their big bodies down there and banged away," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "We didn't do a good enough job of sealing them out and making sure we got on their sticks and keeping them off the net."

Colorado's Jarome Iginla tipped in a rebound early in the second period, but the goal was waved off after left winger Blake Comeau interfered with Budaj. The Avalanche (13-33-2) appealed the ruling, but the call stood.

Both clubs were playing the second end of back-to-backs. The Avalanche lost 5-1 to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

"It's a young group overall, and it's a tough experience," Iginla said. "It is hockey and it is still the NHL, so it's still fun to get out there, but hockey-wise it's a tough experience to go through, and not finding enough ways to win games and tough for the overall confidence."

NOTES: The Avalanche ranked first in the league in offensive-zone faceoff percentage at .566 entering the contest. They were second in overall faceoff percentage at .532. ... Colorado managed just nine points during the past two months, finishing with only three in January. ... The Avalanche scratched LW Andreas Martinsen, D Fedor Tyutin (groin) and G Semyon Varlamov (groin). D Paul LaDue, D Tom Gilbert and C Andy Andreoff were unavailable for the Kings. ... The teams meet for the final time in the regular season Feb. 21 at Colorado. The Avalanche won the initial game 4-1 on Nov. 15. ... Both clubs resume play Saturday. The Avalanche begin a three-game homestand against the Winnipeg Jets.

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