Budaj achieves sixth shutout of season in Kings’ win over Avalanche

The state of the Kings could be summed up in a greeting card: Get well soon.

Off the ice, Kings announcer Bob Miller returned home from the hospital after a mild stroke last week, the team announced. Tyler Toffoli continued rehabilitation from an injury in what would be the return of a big offensive piece.

On the ice, the Kings continued to mend earlier-season struggles with a 5-0 win Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche. Jeff Carter scored twice and goalie Peter Budaj recorded his sixth shutout this season with 22 saves.

“To leave with a victory, going on the road, is huge,” Budaj said. “As you can see in the standings, it’s a tight, tight race. Everybody keeps winning. It seems like nobody’s losing points, so we’re doing the best we can to try to win.”

Budaj’s shutout tied him with Washington’s Braden Holtby for the NHL lead.

“Just playing up here this year, I think, is more than I can imagine,” Budaj said. “I’m just very thankful to be here. The team’s playing great in front of me.”

The Kings won a fourth straight game for the first time since a five-game streak in November, and the good vibes from the All-Star weekend at Staples Center turned toward a “Get Well Bob” chant in the second period.

The Kings blitzed the Avalanche with three goals on their first 11 shots on goalie Spencer Martin, who got a rough start in his third NHL game when Marian Gaborik poked the puck through a scrum 47 seconds in.

From there, Carter took sole possession of second place in the NHL goal-scoring race with Nos. 25 and 26. His shot from the top of the left circle with a Tanner Pearson screen found the net on the power play at 7:15 of the first period. About 10 minutes later, Carter swiped in the puck after Devin Setoguchi nudged it forward on a defensive breakdown by Colorado.

When the first period ended, seven Kings had made the score sheet. Drew Doughty extended his career-long assist streak to six games, and Anze Kopitar’s assist gave him six points in his past four games.

Dustin Brown and Dwight King scored in the third period as the Kings handed Colorado its ninth straight loss. The only loss for the Kings was Jordan Nolan to a lower-body injury, suffered when he fell with Colorado’s Matt Nieto in the second period. An update was not immediately available.

A new face could appear for the Kings on the trip as they recalled defenseman Paul LaDue, 24, a sixth-round draft pick from 2012 with 18 points in 36 games as a minor league rookie.

Veteran defenseman Tom Gilbert was placed on waivers. Gilbert was scratched in 15 of the past 16 games.

Toffoli closer

Toffoli said he’s “almost there” in the effort to return after a lower-body injury that’s kept him out since Dec.20. He put himself through the paces at the Kings’ practice facility and said it’s a matter of progressing without pain while getting his lungs back.

“It’s been a while, obviously,” Toffoli said. “I’m getting my legs back under my feet here and just trying to get more explosive and just keep doing everything I’ve been doing.”

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