Capitals vs. Kings: Word of the Day...

Persistency

A combination of the words persistent and consistency, this what Washington must do tonight to win. They need to be persistent in attack the puck and get that consistency back on the powerplay.

They're already consitently bad on the power play, two guys with more than 10 power play goals?

But also, Alex Ovechkin needs to be persistent and consistent. He's riding a three game scoring drought.

Jakub Klepis says: "At least you're not riding the pine for that delay-of-game penalty!"

Ovechkin has fallen to 4th overall in points in the NHL with 70, that's 16 behind rival Sid "the Kid" Crosby.

Also Known As: "Poppa Floppa" and "Whiney Crosbaby"

But Ovechkin is not the only one who hasn't been consitent or persistent. Olaf Kolzig needs to step up his game and play with more intensity. He's only got 1 win in his last 5 starts and his last shutout was before the lockout.

That's roughly 230 years ago.

If Kolzig can play the way he did in his prime and keep the puck out of the net, the Caps will have a great chance to win. But he does have a 4-7-3-0 record against LA with a 3.33 GAA and .886 save percentage. But that could change tonight.

Because Elisha Cuthbert moved to NY with Sean Avery and no longer can distract him?

Los Angeles is the only team with a losing record when scoring first. Considering how bad Washington is when trailing first and how many goals they score in the first, this game could provide a comeback that could boost their spirits.

If they don't come back, they're gonna have a LOT of spirits.

Final note: Milan Jurcina has been hot for the Caps, averaging over 22 mins of ice time and recording a +1 rating.

Capitals Acquire D Milan Jurcina from Boston

The Capitals announced that they have acquired defenseman Milan Jurcina from the Boston Bruins for a conditional pick (rumored to be a 4th rounder).

Jurcina was drafted in the 8th round (241st overall) by Boston in the 2001 Draft and is going to be a restricted free agent this July. His carer stats: 91 career NHL games, 8 goals, 14 points, -2, 74 PIMs.

Said GM George McPhee:

''This acquisition is consistent with what we are trying to
accomplish,'' Capitals GM George McPhee said in a statement. ''Milan Jurcina is
a young guy with some growth potential. We expect that he will help our penalty
kill right away and we look forward to seeing how else he can help us in the
long term.''

My take: I think this is a low-risk/big-reward scenario. Jurcina could immediately step in and take a defensive slot and add much needed depth to the blue-line. Since he is young (he'll turn 24 in June) and not costing a lot, I see this as a nice move that could help us push toward the playoffs. The Caps may not be buyers in a few weeks, but they got something for not a lot here.