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Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, Preview, and Odds – 1-2-2024

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Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, Preview, and Odds – 1-2-2024


The Washington Capitals face the Pittsburgh Penguins with both teams having promising seasons. The Capitals have a 17-11-6 record and are in the middle of the Metropolitan Division but have lost four games in a row while the Penguins have an 18-13-4 record but with three wins in a row, they have leaped out of the bottom of the division. Both teams look to improve in the division and the Eastern Conference and the upcoming game should be a great one as a result.

We have the best NHL Predictions sure to provide a great payout.

Capitals hope offense improves

The Capitals are having a promising season but hope their offense improves, scoring only 2.29 goals per game with only five goals in the last four games. Dylan Strome and Alexander Ovechkin have scored 20 goals and 22 assists to lead the top line but the rest of the offense has struggled. Only four skaters have seven goals or more and opponents can eliminate the hapless offense as a result.

The offense has struggled but the defense has stepped up, allowing only 2.79 goals per game. John Carlson and Rasmus Sandin have combined for 4.2 defensive point shares and 137 blocked shots while Nick Jensen, Trevor van Riemsdyk, and Martin Fehervary have combined for 4.1 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Charlie Lindgren has stepped up with a .928 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average on 446 shots with 11.3 goals saved above average.

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Penguins defense is turning season around

The Penguins have rebounded in recent games with their offense starting to improve, scoring 3.00 goals per game including 14 goals in the last three games. Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and Evgeni Malkin have scored 50 goals and 57 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has stepped up as well. Reilly Smith, Drew O’Connor, and Lars Eller have combined for 18 goals and 24 assists while defensemen Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang have added nine goals and 37 assists from the point to open up the offense.

The offense has been great but the defense has carried the Penguins, allowing only 2.63 goals per game with only three goals in the last three games. Marcus Pettersson and Erik Karlsson have combined for 5.7 defensive point shares and 99 blocked shots while Kris Letang and Ryan Graves have combined for 4.9 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. Additionally, goaltender Tristan Jarry has been great with a .916 save percentage and a 2.47 goals-against average on 655 shots with 8.7 goals saved above average.

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Full-Game Side Bet

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The Capitals are looking to pull off the upset but the Penguins have looked great in recent games and look to control this game from the first period. The Penguins, who average 3.00 goals per game, should create plenty of scoring chances with Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and the rest of the forward unit carrying the puck into the offensive zone and creating open shots with quick passes. The Penguins, who allow only 2.63 goals per game, should limit the Capitals offense, which averages only 2.29 goals per game, with Marcus Pettersson, Erik Karlsson, and the rest of the defensive unit creating turnovers in the defensive zone and limiting shots on the net, allowing goaltender Tristan Jarry to make plenty of big saves. The Penguins should win the game with a strong performance on their home ice.

Take the Penguins money line as home Favorites.

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Prediction: Penguins (-170)

Full-Game Total Pick

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Both teams are led by their defenses and the upcoming game should reflect that with both defensive units stepping up and taking over this game from the opening puck drop. The Capitals, who allow only 2.79 goals per game, should limit the Penguins’ offense with John Carlson, Rasmus Sandin, and the rest of the defensive unit creating turnovers in the defensive zone and limiting shots on the net, allowing goaltender Charlie Lindgren to make plenty of big saves. The Penguins, who have only allowed three goals in their last three games, should eliminate and potentially shut out the Capitals, who have scored only five goals in their last four games, with Marcus Pettersson, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, and the rest of the defensive unit forcing turnovers in the neutral zone and defensive zone while goaltender Tristan Jarry blanks the shots on the net. The Under should cover in a low-scoring game controlled by both defenses.

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Take the Under on 6 goals.

Prediction: Under 6

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Written By
Mayer Fink , “Mike Fink”

Mike Fink is a sports writer and a passionate football fan. After graduating from college, Fink picked up the passion he had since being a young child in following and covering all things sports and we are very excited to have him as a part of the StatSalt team. In recent weeks, Mike started a podcast which you can find on Spotify, called “The Mike and Grover Show” and it discusses all things football. He covers all forms of sports betting and also bets on all of the plays he gives out. Mike would advise hockey betting since the odds give you great payouts “Hockey is built to bet the Money Line Underdogs. Be sure and follow him on a daily basis. 

Follow On Twitter @Finks_Thoughts

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Masontown Borough unanimously votes to reinstate police department

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Masontown Borough unanimously votes to reinstate police department


During an emergency meeting on Saturday night, Masontown borough council voted 6-0 to reinstate its police department after council initially voted on Monday to lay off the entire department, citing budgetary reasons as the leading factor for the decision.



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Pittsburgh Pirates Swap with A’s That Makes Sense For Both Clubs

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Pittsburgh Pirates Swap with A’s That Makes Sense For Both Clubs


The Pittsburgh Pirates could use some bats, and the A’s are still looking to add some pitching this winter, so how likely is it that these clubs come together on a deal?

According to Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are still on the lookout for some help on the left side of the infield. Over at Roster Resource, their starters at short and third as listed as Nick Gonzales (82 wRC+ in 2025) and Jared Triolo (86).

While the A’s are having a little showdown of their own at third base this spring, they have a number of players in the mix. Perhaps they could move one of them in a deal with Pittsburgh in order to land a relief pitcher with some upside.

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The proposed deal that we have in mind is the A’s sending third baseman Brett Harris, who may be starting as the third option at the hot corner this spring. Harris has a tremendous glove at third, and statistically it appears to be at least on par with the glove what Triolo provided last season.

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In just 183 2/3 innings with the A’s in 2025, Harris put up a +5 DRS, and +2 in both OAA and FRV. Triolo, in roughly 80 extra innings finished with a +7 DRS and +4 in both OAA and FRV. Both players are solid defensively.

Triolo has had more experience in the big leagues, which does account for something, but if you’re the Pirates, do you consider making a change and taking a chance on a similar defender with more upside in the bat? Their current option hit .227 with a .311 OBP and an 86 wRC+ last season in 376 plate appearances. Harris could put together a double-digit home run season at the very least.

Harris played in just 32 games (84 plate appearances) and hit .274 with a .349 OBP and a 96 wRC+. While he certainly looked like an improved player over his initial stint in the big leagues with the A’s in 2024, there was also some luck involved in his improvement—mainly his .377 BABIP. The risk for the Pirates would be taking the chance on that bat being for real.

In exchange, the proposed piece that the Pirates would send back in 30-year-old Yohan Ramírez. The right-hander ranks in the 94th percentile in extension on top of sitting at 96.4 miles per hour with his heater, which is quite appealing. He also held a 5.40 ERA (3.80 FIP) last season, so he’s far from a finished product, and given his age, he’s a flier himself.

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This is the type of pitcher that the A’s have had success with in recent seasons—guys that can collect strikeouts but also tend to issue free passes. In 2025 with the Pirates, he struck out 29% of the batters he faced and walked 10.3%.

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There are two interesting tidbits in his profile that could cause a little worry. The first is that he’s bounced around quite a bit in recent seasons, including spending time with the Dodgers, Mets, Orioles and Red Sox in 2024. Those are all teams that love to pull extra value from guys, and if they all gave up on him, then that’s not the greatest track record.

All of those teams seemed to view him as a guy that could provide a few innings when their bullpens were gassed, which led to him having short stints with each club, totaling a 6.20 ERA (4.26 FIP) across 45 innings.

The other interesting piece here is that when he has been with the Pirates, in both 2025 and back in 2022, his velocity has ticked up considerably. In 2022, he also spent time with the Mariners, and he was sitting 94.2. But with Pittsburgh, that went up to 96.5. In 2024, he topped out at 95.3 mph with the O’s and Mets.

This past season he was back to 96.2 mph. Is there something special for him about pitching in Pittsburgh? Do their radar guns run a little hot? Is this more of a time of year situation that gets hammered out over longer stints (like with the Pirates)? It’s unclear.

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But if he’s truly a 96-mile-per-hour reliever that the A’s could add to their ‘pen, then this trade may be worth some heavy consideration.

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Of course, Ramírez is out of options which would make this a little tricky, and Harris has roughly double the amount of team control, so the value may have to be squared away by adding another piece or two to the ledger. But these two players, Harris and Ramírez, could do a lot of good for the opposite clubs.

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O’Connor vows Pittsburgh won’t cooperate with ICE

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O’Connor vows Pittsburgh won’t cooperate with ICE


Days after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor reaffirmed that he will not cooperate with ICE.

Former Mayor Ed Gainey had taken the same position.

“My stance never changed,” O’Connor told TribLive on Friday. “We’re not going to cooperate.”

O’Connor said the same thing on the campaign trail, promising his administration would not partner with ICE.

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“My priority is to turn the city around and help it grow,” O’Connor said. “For us, it’s got to be focusing on public safety in the city of Pittsburgh.”

President Donald Trump has sent a surge of federal officers into Minneapolis, where tensions have escalated sharply.

O’Connor said he had spoken this week with Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, who heads the Democratic Mayors Association. The group has condemned ICE’s actions in the wake of Wednesday’s fatal encounter in Minneapolis, where an ICE officer shot and killed 37-year-old Nicole Macklin Good, a U.S. citizen described as a poet and mother.

“Mayors are on the ground every day working to keep our communities safe,” the association said in a statement Thursday. “If Trump were serious about public safety, he would work with our cities, not against them. If he were serious, he would stop spreading propaganda and lies, and end the fear, the force, and the federal overreach.”

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has come out strongly against the Trump administration and ICE, penning an op-ed piece for the New York Times with the headline, “I’m the Mayor of Minneapolis. Trump Is Lying to You.”

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said an ICE officer shot Good in self-defense. Noem described the incident as “domestic terrorism” carried out against ICE officers and claimed Good tried to “run them over and rammed them with her vehicle.”

The circumstances of the incident are in dispute.

In December, ICE agents were involved in a scuffle in Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington neighborhood as they arrested a Latino man.

According to neighbors, two unmarked vehicles sandwiched a white Tacoma in the 400 block of Norton Street, broke the driver’s side window, pulled a man from the vehicle and got into a physical altercation. Pepper spray was deployed and seemed to get in the eyes of both the man being detained and at least one immigration agent.

At least some of the officers on the scene in that incident belong to ICE.

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They targeted the man, Darwin Alexander Davila-Perez, a Nicaraguan national, for claiming to be a U.S. citizen while trying to buy a gun, according to court papers.



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