The news on Max Pacioretty wasn't expected to be positive, but it was confirmed on Friday. Pacioretty re-tore his Achilles late in the third period of Thursday night's game. I'd be surprised if he plays any more games this regular season, given how long normal recoveries from this type of injury take. A rough turn of events for Patches and the Hurricanes, who both looked to be in a great spot following his return.

Pacioretty would have helped the Hurricanes offense, which despite the team's first-place standing in the Metropolitan Division is middle of the pack in offense (3.18 GF/GP). To give you an idea, they are one of a bunch of teams believed to be interested in Bo Horvat.

–

Tristan Jarry started his first game since being forced to leave the Winter Classic with a lower-body injury. Jarry stopped 44 of 45 shots in the Penguins' 4-1 win over Ottawa. Jarry had not recorded a win or quality start in the three games leading up to the Winter Classic, which suggests he may have been battling an injury before that.

While Jarry was out (including leaving the Winter Classic), Casey DeSmith posted a 2-3-1 record with a 3.62 GAA and .887 SV%. He wasn't starting very frequently prior to Jarry's injury and will likely only be anything beyond a streaming factor if Jarry struggles again. Jarry can be very hot and cold, so that's something to watch for.

Jeff Petry also returned to the Penguins lineup on Friday, assuming first-unit power play duties because Kris Letang is still out of the lineup. Petry finished with a power-play assist, four shots, and six hits. Petry is rostered in about half of Yahoo leagues, but he's still worth looking up in case he happens to be available in your league. The Penguins usually leave their first-unit power play on the ice longer than other teams, and it's featured Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for over a decade, so it's an ideal place to be for Petry.   

With Petry returning to the lineup, Ty Smith was a healthy scratch. At least in the short term, it seems like Smith is either going to be a boom-or-bust fantasy option whose value may depend on whether Petry or Letang are unavailable. Smith has four points in his last seven games, so his ability to generate offense should not be in question. If both Petry and Letang are in the lineup at the same time, Smith is in danger of being sent to the AHL. Something to keep an eye on if you're holding on to Smith.

Jake Guentzel led the Penguins in their 4-1 win, scoring a pair of goals and adding a power-play assist with a plus-2 and five shots.

Oh look, a Bryan Rust sighting. Rust assisted on both of Guentzel's goals and also finished with a plus-3. Rust has declined from a near point-per-game pace last season to a 53-point pace over a full season. Yet certified Band-Aid Boy Rust has yet to miss a game this season. That's the plus side. What would you choose – higher production with some time missed due to injuries, or lower production while being available for every game?

By the way, this game finished with 89 shots between the two teams – 45 for Ottawa and 44 for Pittsburgh.

–

The Bruce Boudreau watch is on in full effect. Through all of this, how can you not feel for him? Between his tone at the morning press conference and the fans trying to lift his spirits with one more "Bruce There It Is," there was a finality in the air at Rogers Arena on Friday. Yet either in an effort for ownership to save a few bucks on coaches or on management trying to keep the coaching seat warm until their guy Rick Tocchet can arrive, Boudreau could well be back behind the bench tonight on what will be Hockey Day in Canada. What do you think the HNIC panel will spend a considerable portion of the day discussing? This is an awful look for the Canucks, who are making a strong case at being one of the most poorly-run organizations in the NHL. In case you think I’m being too critical, I'm a fan of the team!

Bruce Boudreau got emotional this morning when asked what it means for him to coach in the NHL#Canucks pic.twitter.com/c940BthyXV

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) January 20, 2023

Bruce Boudreau tapping the heart to the Vancouver fans after a round of "Bruce, there it is!" chants.

The fans are taking care of him. pic.twitter.com/Bh7KxrSesY

— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) January 21, 2023

This is a fantasy hockey site, so I'll quit ranting. Maybe I should have a Fantasy Take ready for tomorrow. Or maybe I already do, at least in my head. Anyway, look out for it shortly after Boudreau is finally put out of his misery…. whenever that is.

Bo Horvat's nine-game point streak came to an end on Friday. He had recorded 10 points over that span. Bo has 30 goals at the midway point of the season, which means that 40 seems inevitable even with a second-half slump and he could even take a run at 50. If he scores a 50^th goal this season, I'm guessing it won't be in a Canucks uniform.

Mikko Rantanen scored his 32^nd goal of the season, which was a power-play goal. Only Connor McDavid and David Pastrnak have scored more goals than Rantanen, who is tied with Tage Thompson for third in goals.

Nathan MacKinnon finished with two assists, but he didn't score a goal due to lack of effort. MacKinnon fired 10 shots on a beleaguered Canucks squad. MacKinnon is averaging over five shots per game – 5.4 SOG/GP, to be exact. No other player averages five shots per game. The only reason MacKinnon doesn't lead the league in shots on goal is that he's missed 11 games.

Evan Rodrigues chipped in with another assist, which gives him 13 points in his last 11 games. A good chunk of that time (since just before Christmas) has been on MacKinnon's line. Rodrigues got off to kind of a slow start with the Avalanche (9 PTS in first 18 GP) when he wasn't on the MacKinnon line, but has been a point-per-game player (15 PTS in 15 GP) over the second quarter.

–

Let's get into a few possible streamers for the weekend. I'll focus on players that will be in action on both Saturday and Sunday who are available in the majority of Yahoo leagues. Teams with games on both Saturday and Sunday: Arizona, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Jose, Vegas, Winnipeg.

Taylor Raddysh, CHI – Six points in his last four games and a minimum of three shots per game, mainly on a line with Jonathan Toews (who like Raddysh, has a four-game point streak). What the heck, you could add Toews as well. He's also been receiving first-unit power-play time.

Tyler Johnson, CHI – More Blackhawks than you expected? TJ has four points in his last four games. He's been lining up with either Toews or Patrick Kane.  

Scott Laughton, PHI – They don't have to play for good teams. They just have to get you points. Laughton has seven points over his last five games. He's also averaging just over half of the Flyers' available power-play minutes over that span. He'll also help with faceoff volume, if you need it.

Nick Bonino, SJ – Five points in his last five games, and a Saturday matchup against the Blue Jackets. Bonino Bonino Bonino!

Matt Benning, SJ – Benning has never shown a great deal of offense throughout his career, but he is on a 36-point pace this season. Although he has just one power-play point this season, he has regularly been on San Jose's second unit since early December.

Need a goalie? Check GoaliePost for the latest starting goalie information.

–

"See yous tomorrow… I hope." -Bruce Boudreau

How would you feel being the head coach of the #Canucks right now? pic.twitter.com/ZPyvxsh74Z

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) January 21, 2023

Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.