Budaj allowed two goals on 27 shots during Tuesday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Blue Jackets.

EDGE Analysis

Budaj was able to limit the highest-scoring offense in the league, but couldn't steal the victory in what would have been his fourth win in December. Even in a losing effort, the netminder has continued to show glimpses of must-start status, followed by ugly losses in the month. However, the 34-year-old is trending in the right direction, allowing just three total goals in his last three appearances.

Budaj will guard the cage in Tuesday's road game against the Blue Jackets.

EDGE Analysis

Budaj has been pretty solid in the month of December, posting a 2-1-1 record with a 2.27 GAA and .918 save percentage over six appearances. The veteran netminder will look to pick up his 15th win of the season in a highly unfavorable road matchup with Columbus' league-leading offense.

Budaj was great, allowing just one goal against the Bruins, but it wasn't enough, as the Kings lost 1-0 on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

The Bruins tagged Budaj for an early goal despite just six shots on net in the first. Budaj was spectacular, stopping all 24 attempts he saw in the second and third, but the Kings couldn't solve Tuukka Rask. The 34-year-old has been up-and-down in December, but he's allowed just one goal over his last 120 minutes.

Budaj will start in goal Sunday against the Bruins, Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Budaj is coming off a stellar performance against a red-hot Penguins club, setting aside all of the 39 shots he faced. He will look for a repeat performance Sunday against a Boston club that's struggled to find the back of the net consistently in December.

Budaj stopped all 39 shots that came his way during Friday's 1-0 overtime win against the Penguins.

EDGE Analysis

For his third shutout of the year, Budaj rose to the occasion and stifled the No. 1 scoring offense in the league. It was quite the bounce-back performance after giving up four goals to the Sabres in his last appearance. The 34-year-old netminder has been up and down in December through five contests, but his shutout improves the Czech's goals against to 2.20 in that span.

Budaj led his team onto the ice for warmups and will be the starting goalie for Friday night's road game in Pittsburgh, Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider reports.

EDGE Analysis

Budaj returns to the goal after watching the first leg of the Kings' back-to-back from the bench on Thursday night. It's been a rough go of it lately for the Czech backstop who has allowed 14 goals on only 101 shots in his last five appearances. It won't get easier for him either as he faces a Penguins team Friday that is leading the league with 3.53 goals per game.

Budaj gave up four goals on 22 shots in Tuesday's 6-3 loss to Buffalo.

EDGE Analysis

He was pulled in the second period after the Sabres scored three straight goals -- including two just 12 seconds apart -- but Budaj ended up being reinserted for the third period. Unsurprisingly for a guy with such a mediocre track record, the bloom has come off the rose lately; over his last five appearances, Budaj owns an .861 save percentage and 3.27 GAA. It's hard to be unhappy with what he's delivered for fantasy owners who picked him up cheaply, but there's a hard ceiling to his value.

Budaj will make his 25th appearance in net Tuesday against the Sabres, Helene Elliot of the LA Times reports.

EDGE Analysis

Budaj is coming off a strong showing Saturday, putting away 19 of 20 shots en route to his 13th victory of the season against the Senators. The 34-year-old puck plugger will have a highly favorable matchup on his hands during the road matchup as he'll be stopping pucks against a Sabres' offense that ranks last in the NHL in goals per game (2.04).

Budaj made 19 saves and earned an assist in Los Angeles' 4-1 win over Ottawa on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

It was Budaj's first point since April 4, 2012. He already has 13 wins this season after being starting the season as the team's No. 3 and then being summoned from the AHL to fill Jonathan Quick's boots. Budaj is a solid fantasy play, primarily because his mates play such a tight defensive system that any shortcomings he may have are reasonably masked.

Budaj led his team out for pregame-warmups Saturday afternoon, Helene Elliott of the LA Times reports. This means that he'll be the home starter against the Senators.

EDGE Analysis

In a classic example of how unpredictable this league can be, Budaj, a career backup who made just one NHL appearance last season, finds himself at 12 wins in 23 games to complement a 2.23 GAA while unseating Jeff Zatkoff as the No. 2 option in goal for the Kings. Granted, it had originally taken groin injuries to All-Star Jonathan Quick and Zatkoff for Budaj to get a chance in the first place, but that's beside the point. Looking ahead to the upcoming game, Budaj will see an Ottawa team that only ranks 21st in scoring at 2.41 goals per contest.