Sabres - The Buffalo News
National Hockey League
Los Angeles 1, Philadelphia 0
When: 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 4, 2017
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Dan O'Rourke, Ian Walsh
Linesmen: Greg Devorski, Bryan Pancich
Attendance: 19833

PHILADELPHIA – Jeff Carter isn't sure where the Los Angeles Kings would be without goaltender Peter Budaj, who recorded his league-high seventh shutout of the season in Saturday's 1-0 overtime win over the Flyers.

The win was the Kings' fifth in a row and hiked Budaj's record to 25-14-3 in place of injured starter Jonathan Quick, who has been sidelined by a groin injury since mid-October.

"He's been awesome," Carter said after scoring his team-high 27th goal 2:35 into overtime on a slick pass from Anze Kopitar. "Quickie goes down and we all know he's such a big part of our team. Those are big shoes to fill and (Budaj) hasn't missed a beat. To be quite honest, if he wasn't playing how he is we wouldn't be in the position we are. He's been holding it together for us."

Thanks to their five-game win streak, in which Budaj has recorded three shutouts and has allowed just three goals, the Kings (27-21-4) have moved into playoff position in the scrambled Western Conference standings.

"I know it's a cliché but I try to take one game at a time," said Budaj, who turned aside all 17 shots he faced to extend his shutout streak to 144 minutes, 5 seconds.

"It's a playoff race right now and we need to get as many points as possible. I try to make the next save to help us win that game and move up in the standings. Obviously, this has been great and I'm very thankful for this, but we have a long way to go."

Goaltender Michal Neuvirth (8-4-1) was the biggest reason the Flyers earned a point. He stopped 27 shots, including big glove saves on Dustin Brown, Tanner Pearson and Carter, who recorded a game-high eight shots.

"He had a calmness to his game today," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "He made three or four big saves for us and a bunch of other pretty good ones. He battled as hard as he could and he was a big part of us getting the one point."

Carter is now tied for the Kings' franchise record for game-winning goals (nine) and overtime goals (four). The Kings improved to 11-4 in overtimes this season, thanks in part to the trio of Carter, Kopitar and Doughty, who extended his career-long assist streak to seven games.

"We've had some success in overtime," Carter said. "Playing with Kopy and Drew helps me a lot. I just try to get open and hopefully they find me."

Minutes after being denied on a fabulous save by Neuvirth, Carter, who played his first six NHL seasons in Philadelphia beat his former team by banking a shot off Neuvirth's blocker and into the net.

The loss was the Flyers' second in three games following a three-game win streak.

"We definitely let the point slip away," said Flyers center Sean Couturier, who rang a shot off the post on a second-period breakaway. "I think we can't be down on ourselves. It's a good veteran experienced team, and they play the right way. They are a playoff team the way they play, and they play that all year. I think we battled hard. It could had gone either way. It's just too bad we couldn't get it done."

The Kings' best chance to score in regulation came 7:55 into the second period when Flyers right winger Jakub Voracek inadvertently sent a defensive zone pass intended for defenseman Brandon Manning onto the stick of a backchecking Dustin Brown, who stepped around Neuvirth but was denied his eighth goal of the season when Neuvirth reached back to snare the puck before it crossed the goal line.

Neuvirth came up with another sprawling save with about six minutes remaining in the third period, denying a backhander from Pearson. He also got a little help from Manning, who was stripped at the offensive blue line by Toffoli but chased him down to disrupt him before he got off a breakaway attempt.

NOTES: RW Tyler Toffoli returned to the lineup for the Kings after missing the previous 19 games because of a lower body injury. Toffoli played on the second line with C Jeff Carter LW Tanner Pearson. ... Flyers D Shayne Gostisbehere (minus-19) and LW Travis Konecny (minus-4) were healthy scratches for the second straight game, replaced by D Nick Schultz and LW Dale Weiss. D Michael Del Zotto sat out because of a lower body injury. ... The Kings continue their four-game trip on Sunday in Washington. They follow with visits to Tampa and Florida before going on a five-day bye week. ... The Flyers continue their five-game homestand Monday night against the St. Louis Blues and follow with home games against the New York Islanders and San Jose Sharks.
Top Game Performances
 
Los Angeles   Philadelphia
Jeff Carter 1 Points N/A
Jeff Carter 1 Goals N/A
Drew Doughty 1 Assists N/A
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Peter Budaj 1.000 Save Percentage Michal Neuvirth .964
Peter Budaj 17 Saves Michal Neuvirth 27
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Los Angeles 28 1 0-2 2-2 4 27
Philadelphia 17 0 0-2 2-2 4 27
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against St. Louis. The Flyers have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .481 after a loss.
  • Los Angeles will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Kings have a W/L % of .615 after a win and .423 after a loss.