Eichel out vs. Flyers due to upper-body injury

The moribund Buffalo Sabres will play another game without their captain.

Jack Eichel won't suit up against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night due to an upper-body injury, the Sabres announced.

Though it's unclear if it's related, the 24-year-old star appeared to be bothered by a neck ailment during Sunday's loss to the New York Islanders.

Eichel in discomfort around the neck #LetsGoBuffalo #Isles #HDIA pic.twitter.com/IJtbL7TGpk

- Buffalo Hockey moments (@SabresPlays) March 7, 2021

Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger said Tuesday that Eichel is being evaluated but didn't specify whether it's a longer-term injury or when it happened, according to NHL.com's Heather Engel.

Eichel was a late scratch for a game against the New Jersey Devils due to an injury in late February, after which Krueger said the center got hurt during that night's warmup. Eichel contradicted Krueger several days later, saying he was injured during the prior game.

It's been a difficult season for Eichel in terms of production. He leads the Sabres with 16 assists and 18 points but has scored only two goals in 21 games. He has an expected goals-for percentage at five-on-five of 56.42 but a goals-for rate of only 38.46 in the same situations, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The team's struggles have mirrored those of its best player. Buffalo enters Tuesday's action with the worst points percentage in the NHL (.326) and a 6-14-3 record. The Sabres have lost seven straight games and are coming off three straight 5-2 defeats at the hands of the Islanders.

Buffalo named Eichel its captain at the start of the 2018-19 season after signing him to an eight-year, $80-million contract extension the previous October.

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