LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Kings made Terry Murray a winner in his 1,000th game as an NHL head coach. Fittingly, the winning goal was credited to his captain, Dustin Brown.

Defensemen Alex Martinez and Matt Greene scored on the front and back ends of a four-goal second period, and Colin Fraser added a goal in the Kings' 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.

"I've never had a milestone before. But it doesn't feel any different or anything special, really. It was a game that was very important for us to win," Murray said. "I really liked the focus coming into this game.

"What I liked about this milestone, the fact that the team played well and won the game."

Murray is the 21st NHL coach to work 1,000 games, joining his brother, Bryan. He also has coached 101 postseason games during his career, which includes stints with Washington, Florida and Philadelphia. Nashville's Barry Trotz also coached his 1,000th game on Saturday, all with the Predators.

"It's probably harder as a coach to get a thousand games than it is as a player, so it's a big milestone for him," Brown said. "It's always nice when you can have a milestone like that be a win."

Defense has been a key element of Murray's three-plus seasons with the Kings, which followed a seven-year absence behind an NHL bench. The Kings made the playoffs each of the previous two seasons after a six-year drought, and are setting their sights on bigger things.

"His coaching style suits this team very well," Brown said. "When he first came out here, we didn't have much of a system - especially in our D-zone.

"We're one of the best defensive teams over the last three years, and a lot of that comes from the system he's brought in. Hammering it home to us and having a lot of the guys buying in is a big part of that, too."

Associated Press