SoCal NHL Capsule

Phoenix 4, Los Angeles 0 ------------------------------

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) -- Wayne Gretzky spent eight seasons with the Los Angeles Kings as a player, and he really seems to enjoy coaching against his former team. With his No. 99 jersey hanging from the rafters at the Staples Center, "The Great One" recorded his 100th career win as a coach Monday night as the Phoenix Coyotes defeated the Kings, 4-0, for the sixth straight time his season.

Gretzky, who holds almost every significant offensive record in the NHL, achieved the milestone in his third year behind the bench in Phoenix. Over that span, the Coyotes have posted a 15-6-1 record against the Kings. "I don't really worry about that stuff," said Gretzky of reaching the 100-win plateau. "We are in the hunt for the playoff drive and we are playing a lot better than most people anticipated. It was a great team effort. "There's something about this group. They rally around each other. I thought the guys came out and took a lead. We're definitely heading in the right direction for the playoffs."

The Hall of Famer, however, has yet to lead Phoenix to the postseason during his coaching tenure. That could change this season as the Coyotes have climbed into a three-way tie with the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks for the final two spots in the Western Conference playoff race. Radim Vrbata scored a goal and set up two others and defenseman Ed Jovanovski added a goal and an assist for Phoenix, which posted a 4-3 victory over Los Angeles in the first game of the home-and-home series on Saturday.