<p>BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury that is not yet considered season-ending.</p>
<p>Coach Ralph Krueger on Saturday was unable to provide a fixed timetable except to say Eichel is “out for the foreseeable future." </p>
<p>Krueger added: “An injury of this nature needs more assessment and more time."</p>
<p>The update came after Eichel traveled to see a specialist over the past two days to further determine the severity of the injury. Under the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol rules, Eichel is required to spend seven days in quarantine as a result of the trip, meaning he will miss at least Buffalo’s next four games.</p>
<p>He has already missed two games since he was checked into the end boards by Casey Cizikas in the closing minutes of a 5-2 loss at the New York Islanders on Sunday. Eichel went to the bench, where he was spotted wincing in pain while flexing his neck.</p>
<p>The Sabres, who host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night, are in free fall. Buffalo (6-14-4) ranks last in the league in wins and is in the midst of an 0-7-2 skid, putting the team already in danger of extending its playoff drought to an NHL-record-matching 10th season.</p>
<p>Eichel’s latest injury is separate from the previous two that have severely hampered his production this season. </p>
<p>He missed the first week of training camp after sustaining an upper-body injury during a pre-camp on-ice workout in Buffalo. Eichel also missed two games last month with a lower-body injury.</p>
<p>A year after scoring a career-best 36 goals in 68 games, the five-time 20-plus goal-scorer has been limited to two goals and 16 assists in 21 games this year.</p>
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