TORONTO - Jonathan Bernier turned the jeers into cheers.

More often than not this season, the Toronto Maple Leafs' goalie has been the object of derision from the team's emotional fan base, but he turned that around Saturday night at Air Canada Centre in a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

The announced crowd of 19,362 provided him with hearty applause all game, in particular when he made a spectacular sprawling pad save in the second. He was the game's first star.

The win gave the Leafs, who are in the basement in the Atlantic Division, a record of 11-13-7 this season. The Kings, who lead the Pacific Division, dropped to 20-10-2. It was the first time the Leafs have shut out the Kings since March 1978.

Bernier, who played for the Kings before the Leafs acquired him in a trade in June, 2013, recorded his first win in 12 starts this season and first against his former team. Bernier's last shutout was in December, 2014 in a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars.

Jonathan Quick took the loss. Bernier played behind Quick in Los Angeles.

Left winger Michael Grabner had two goals and four points in the game. Right winger Leo Komarov also had two goals and added one assist. Center Byron Froese recorded his first National Hockey League goal.

Bernier's stellar performance couldn't have come at a better time. He earned the starting job only because the top two goalies on the depth chart are sidelined indefinitely.

"I've had a tough time (this season), but I've been saying that if you stick to the program and you work hard, at one point you'll get rewarded," Bernier said. "I felt really good, but at the same time the guys really played well. That's not an easy team. We battled and we played a tight game."

Leafs' first-year coach Mike Babcock had grown increasingly frustrated with Bernier's disappointing play, but this was a chance for the netminder to make a statement.

"I would say real good for Bernie, and as good as it is for Bernie it's better for the Leafs because it hadn't gone as good for Bernie," Babcock said. "It's got to be unbelievably hard on you mentally. You get put through the ringer. It's not easy. I don't care what walk of life you're in or what you do, when someone takes your job, it's hard for you and you've got to decide why you play the game."

Bernier's teammates have stood behind the embattled netminder despite his struggles this season. At times, Bernier has been victimized by teammates' missed assignments and bad luck. In the Leafs' previous game two days earlier against San Jose, Bernier was pressed into duty early in the first period when starter Garret Sparks suffered an injury in the first period. The Sharks won 5-4 in overtime on a shot that deflected off Leafs' defenseman Matt Hunwick.

"Obviously Bernie has been battling hard for the last couple of games and it's a great feeling to get him the shutout tonight," Grabner said.

The Leafs led in shots on goal, 34-26.

Kings' left winger Milan Lucic said Bernier played well.

"You hear him talking in interviews lately how he's feeling like he was getting better and better - eventually it was going to come for him," Lucic said. "It seemed like everything we put on net hit him. He was in the right spot and played a really good game. If we had gone one past him with the chances that we had it would have been a different result. But it was just one of those games where it didn't go in for us and things went in for them."

Kings' right winger Dustin Brown agreed Bernier played well, but said he didn't have too many difficult saves to make.

"Bernie's a good goalie, but if he's going to be able to see the puck he's going to stop them," King said.

NOTES: With G James Reimer (groin) and G Garrett Sparks (lower body) sidelined, the Leafs suited up two French Canadian goalies, the first time since 1996-97. ... D Frank Corrado was scratched after playing his first two games of the season. ... The Leafs signed veteran free-agent G Ray Emery to a professional tryout contract on Friday. ... In addition to the two goalies, the Leafs' injured list also includes D Stephane Robidas (knee) and C Nick Spaling (upper body). ... Grabner was promoted to the second line after playing most of the season on the third and fourth line. ... Leafs D Roman Polak is the only player in the 2015-2016 season with at least 100 hits and at least 50 blocked shots. ... The Kings' 70s line - LW Tanner Pearson, C Jeff Carter and RW Tyler Toffoli - was reunited for the first time this season. Lucic was promoted to the top line with C Anze Kopitar and RW Marian Gaborik. ... C Trevor Lewis was activated by the Kings on Friday after missing seven games with an injury. The Kings' injured list includes D Matt Greene (shoulder), LW Dwight King (foot) and LW Kyle Clifford (upper body).