Kyle Criscuolo out 4-6 weeks for snakebitten Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres bad luck continues as Kyle Criscuolo suffers an upper body injury in his first NHL game since December.

It’s been a rough season for the Buffalo Sabres. And their attempt to inject some new blood into the lineup backfired on Monday when Kyle Criscuolo took a tough hit from Matt Martin.

Criscuolo wastes no time heading to the locker room after taking the hit. The actual injury is unknown — NHL teams only classify injuries as “upper body” or “lower body” this time of year –

– but Criscuolo has been ruled out for the next four to six weeks.

It was the forward’s first NHL game since December. He was having a good season in the AHL for the Rochester Amerks, posting 34 points in 50 games. He was recalled after Evan Rodrigues, currently listed as day-to-day, suffered an upper body injury. If he’s not available to play on Wednesday, the Sabres will have to make another recall. Kevin Porter or Sahir Gill are the most likely candidates to be called up.

Criscuolo has appeared in nine NHL games this season, failing to register a point.

The Sabres currently sit 30th in the league with 53 points. Many expected the Sabres to take some positive steps this year, mainly banking on Jack Eichel to thrust himself into superstar status.

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This is a bigger blow to Rochster and their chances at the Calder Cup. They are third in the North division with 73 points, three points behind the Syracuse Crunch. Criscuolo likely would have gone back to Rochster when Rodrigues was able to return to the lineup.