Meanwhile in net, Peter Budaj is having his own career renaissance. After spending the past two seasons in the AHL, the Slovakian goaltender has started 10 games in a row for the Kings (7-3-0) and is tied for second in wins (7) and shutouts (2) in the NHL. Before joining the Kings organization his last team was the Montreal Canadiens where he appeared in 54 games over three seasons while backing up Carey Price.
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When it was announced that Jonathan Quick would be lost to injury, many feared that the Kings season might be lost as well. Despite a few rough stretches, Budaj has ably filled in for the Conn Smythe winner and his paltry 1.86 GAA ranks among the top ten in the league. It's too early to proclaim the season saved or that Budaj is it's savior but a 7-3-0 record in the last 10 games is at least enough to make Kings fans smile in what has already been an emotionally trying 2016-17 campaign.
Montreal Canadiens Leading scorer
Alex Galchenyuk - 13 points (5 Goals/8 Assists) in 13 games
The Montreal Canadiens faced something of an identity crisis last season. After jumping out to a franchise best 9-0-0 start, the Habs compiled a 16-4-2 record before losing starting goalie Carey Price to injury. Their 22-34-4 record following the injury saw the team miss the playoffs for the first time in three seasons and only the second time since the 2004-05 lockout. Despite a strong record with a healthy Price, their sudden misfortune caused doubts about the composition of the team. Two days before the activation of a no-trade clause in his contract, Montreal did the seemingly unthinkable and traded popular defenseman PK Subban to the Nashville Predators for Shea Weber.