Buffalo Sabres: How long will Jack Eichel be out of action?

The Buffalo Sabres and their fans are anxiously waiting to find out how serious Jack Eichel’s injury is, after he fell awkwardly during the first period against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night and did not return.

Such is the life of a Buffalo Sabres fan, even when things seem to be going right, there’s usually a curveball. Take Saturday night as a prime example.

The Sabres managed to secure an impressive 4-2 road win over a Boston Bruins team with genuine aspirations of winning the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately for Swords fans, any chance to temporarily forget about what has been an extremely disappointing season, was ruined by an incident during the opening 20 minutes.

With 6:52 left in the first period, Jack Eichel was forced to leave the game, after he fell to his knees and was bent backwards awkwardly by Bruins blueliner Matt Grzelcyk. He was unable to put any weight on his right leg as he headed off to the dressing room and he did not return.

There’s no denying the incident and the aftermath didn’t look good. Obviously, this leads to the question of how serious the injury is?

However, Sabres’ coach Phil Housley was unable to provide an update following the game. As reported by Amy Mortiz of The Buffalo News, Housley said: “I don’t know … We’ll have to re-evaluate it (Sunday).”

Understandably, losing Eichel for a sustained period of time would be a big blow to the Swords. Even though they have little to no chance of making the playoffs, he has been a rare bright spot during this dark season.

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The 2015 second overall draft pick has continued to grow and show why he is the long-term face of the Sabres franchise. With more than a quarter of the regular season remaining, he is well on course to set personal NHL bests for goals, assists and overall points.

What has been particularly impressive about Eichel, is how he’s stepped up his game as the season has become increasingly lost. He continues to work hard and is showing real signs of maturing.

Now, the Buffalo Sabres and their fans wait to find out if the 21-year-old will miss any time and — more importantly — how much. He previously sat out 21 games to start the 2016/17 campaign, after sustaining a severe high ankle sprain to his left ankle during the final practice in preseason. (Another example of the bad luck Swords fans have to endure.)

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Do you expect Eichel to miss any time with his injury and if so, how much? How would you sum up his season to date? Are you confident the center is the man to eventually lead the Swords out of the wilderness and back into the playoffs? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.