Peter Budaj grabbed a plate of food and made his way down a hallway at the Kings’ El Segundo practice facility Friday when Coach Darryl Sutter reached out and gave his goaltender a friendly pat on the back.
Then he gave him a verbal kick in the butt.
Budaj has allowed 17 goals in his last four starts, three of which the Kings have lost. And though defensive breakdowns have contributed to many of those scores, Sutter said the puck needs to stop with his goalie.
“It’s goaltending,” he said.