Jack Eichel News

Eichel was a surprise scratch on Thursday and will remain out of the lineup on Saturday afternoon. Tage Thompson replaced him on Thursday but Jeff Skinner will be back in the lineup for him on Saturday.

Eichel missed Thursday’s morning skate and was a late-scratch for last night’s game vs. the Devils. Eichel was once again missing from practice on Friday and is listed as day-to-day. Consider him questionable for this weekend’s back-to-back vs. the Flyers.

Eichel suffered an upper-body injury while training and was held off of the ice for the first day of training camp. The Sabres consider Eichel as day-to-day, so it doesn't sound like he will miss any games. In practice, Casey Mittelstadt skated on the top line as a placeholder for Eichel, cantering a line with Taylor Hall and Victor Olofsson on his wings.

Eichel, who was a late scratch on Thursday, will be in warmups on Saturday afternoon and the Sabres will see how he feels before making a decision on his availability.

Eichel was a late scratch on Thursday but was on the ice for Friday's practice. Eichel remains day-to-day and is questionable to play Saturday but the good news is that it clearly isn't a serious injury for the red-hot forward.

Eichel has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury but will be back Friday in Carolina. Eichel has enjoyed a quality campaign, collecting 15 goals and 34 assists (49 points) in 40 games.

Eichel was on the ice for Tuesday’s morning skate but the Sabres will hold him out for the third straight game. The Sabres want to be “cautious” with their star centre, leaving the door open for him to return during their Friday/Saturday back-to-back.

Eichel was listed as questionable for Monday’s game but ended up playing before leaving after just 2:42 TOI. The Sabres want to be cautious with their star centre, so they will scratch him on Thursday and re-evaluate him early next week.

Eichel missed Sunday’s practice and is questionable for Monday’s game against the Islanders. C.J. Smith was recalled this morning and will replace Eichel if he is unavailable.

Despite practicing on Tuesday and Wednesday, Eichel is not ready to return to the Sabres lineup on Thursday. Regardless, he is obviously getting close to a return to the lineup, so monitor his status heading into Saturday’s game vs. the Blackhawks.

Eichel is entering the final year of his entry-level contract, so this extension will kick in for the 2018-19 season and run through the 2025-26 campaign—he will be 29-years-old. Eichel is hoping for a better start to 2017-18 after last year got derailed by an injury before the first game. Upon his return to the Buffalo lineup, Eichel was 10th in the NHL in points and is pegged as one of the biggest breakout candidates coming into this season.