As the Ottawa Senators aim to tighten their grip on a playoff spot, their captain will have to watch.
Forward Brady Tkachuk will not play on Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabres due to an upper-body injury, Sportsnet's Alex Adams reported.
It is unclear when the injury occurred.
Tkachuk sat out the final six minutes of a win over the Boston Bruins on March 13 with a hip injury, but returned for the team's next game two nights later against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 25-year-old also missed a pair of games after the 4 Nations Face-Off in February with a lower-body injury.
In 71 games with Ottawa this season, Tkachuk leads the team with 29 goals to go with 26 assists.
Earlier Tuesday, the Senators recalled forward Angus Crookshank from AHL Belleville. The 25-year-old Crookshank, who has appeared in one game this season, skated on a fourth line with Adam Gaudette and Matthew Highmore at Tuesday morning's practice.
Defenceman Nick Jensen was also not seen on the ice ahead at practice. He was replaced by Travis Hamonic on a second pairing with Thomas Chabot.
Ottawa holds the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 84 points in 73 games and sit seven points clear of the Montreal Canadiens.
Live coverage of the Senators-Sabres game will be available on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
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