Although the Los Angeles Kings are without their top two goalies, Peter Budaj has earned praise in the absence of Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff, each sidelined with a groin injury. Budaj was first off the ice at the morning skate, and though coach Darryl Sutter wants to see him improve his game, he is confident with him in the interim. "He's played really well for us, given us a chance to win," Sutter said. "I think there are things that he can work on to help his save percentage, help his puck play, help his rebound control, help us with our possession, help us with exchanges with the defensemen. There's a lot to work on. This is very much a day-at-a-time deal here." Budaj, who played for Ontario in the American Hockey League last season, is 2-0-0 with a 2.46 goals-against average and .889 save percentage in three games (two starts). "He can still play at this level and there's no doubt about that," Kings defenseman Drew Doughty said. "He works really hard in practice, he works on his game at all times, and he really cares a lot. He gives us confidence in front of him."
