Is this the biggest game of the year for the Jets? Some would say so with 2 points on the line and a chance for the Jets to take down a divisional rival. Add in the extra incentive of Washington losing last night and any opportunity to get close to the top of the division is one which has to be deemed as important if not vital to a team’s success.

The task became much harder with news today coming out that Evander Kane joins the list of the walking head-wounded as he is side-lined with a concussion. While Kane did not miss a shift against Sabres in the 4-1 victory on Thursday night it is believed that at some point he sustained a hit or collision which caused him to ‘feel ill’ some time yesterday.

In his spot Eric Fehr moves up to the top line and Cormier, recently recalled from St. John’s, will slot in as Stapleton will miss the game as well. I write this without internet access at 35,000 feet en route to Toronto so I cannot confirm what Stapleton’s ailment is. Needless to say, will the Jets ever get a chance to play with a full healthy line up again this season?

Good news is that Bogosian will be on the ice tonight and Dustin Byfuglien was skating today with the team. A lone giant in an orange jersey on the ice as he continues to test what is believed to be a injured knee.

Lately there have been a lot of strange rumours appearing and twice in the last two days my nephew has asked me to corroborate things he has heard. However, let’s back up the bus to see what kind of foolishness is out there in the Jets fans’ universe.

After Thursday’s game the Jets’ post game radio show had a young caller in asking about the rumour of the Jets trading Kane to Columbus for Nash. All credit given to Rick Ralph as he did not blow his cool in fits of laughter and actually encouraged the young caller to reveal his information and rumour. I give the kid credit, he had a pretty good point except that he wanted to sign Kane first and then trade him such as what Phoenix did with Turris. Moving on.

My nephew threw out the Kane is being shopped for Getzlaf and the teams are talking. Where did this come from? As my nephew claims, (Pete gags down half a cup of salt) most of the upper management at TNSE went to his high school and are big donors there so the rumour is coming from ‘kids in the know’. The final rumour has to do with a more complex trade, and what comes with complexity? Absurdity.

This one involves Dustin Byfuglien going to Chicago in a multi-player deal which brings Toews back to his childhood home of Winnipeg. Is it no coincidence that these trades gets more foolish as the EA sports franchise NHL 12 gets more effective at making kids feel like real GMs? Now this one comes from a person who claims to have had chats with TNSE in some capacity where he/she was told that ‘oh we called and asked about him’.

No matter how desperate a fan base is to have success, even one deprived of failure for fifteen years these deals are not in the cards. No one should even have to remind a reader of that should they?

What is at play for commentary, at the very least, is a series of tweets from Evander Kane last night. They weren’t prefaced by anything nor did the make reference to any thing in particular until the last one.

“haters can’t see me, nose bleed seats and today I went shopping and talk was still cheap”
“haters make us smile, they spend their life cloning our style. Nothin’ better to do with their time, they’ll even try to copy my dime”
“to all the fans great fans that don’t hate I appreciate #raycharlestothebullshit”

Is the pressure getting to Kane? Is the fan and media microscope becoming to intense for the young star? This is a tough period for Kane and this series of tweets may illustrate how personally Kane takes criticism to a tough goal drought. He is no longer insulated from the fans such as when the franchise was in Atlanta. This is an evironment that cares about hockey in all facets from Timbits to NHL alumni games and Kane is probably feeling the brunt for the team.
Take the foolhardy notions that Andrew Ladd could be expendable to the team, but don’t forget he is as big a name the Jets have, then realize aside from Ladd, Kane is the next most prolific player on the team. With apologies to Dustin Byfuglien, Evander Kane is the player who the Jets need to play at the highest level. What’s an observer to do when he reads the above the tweets?

First would be not to over-react like so many are prone to do when athletes step outside the cliché box with their comments and thoughts. The other important thing would be not to take them to far out of context. Kane’s quoting a Lil Wayne song which has some relevant lyrics about how he the opinions of the fans who cheer or jeer him may affect him.

Make no mistake this young athlete is under no more or less pressure than any other Jets player but he has the added expectations of living up to something bigger than most of his team mates. Expectations are what come with the talent Kane is blessed to have and there can be no shirking that reality. Kane’s challenge is to deal with the expectations heaped upon him and manage the highs and lows associated with development.

With no Kane in the line-up tonight where do the Jets turn to face a team which needs points as bad as they do? The Jets were handed a favour by the find folks in Chicago as the Panthers were beat 3-1 last night. The loss makes this game that much bigger for both teams and now the home team has lost it’s budding superstar to the same injury falling so many players- concussions.

The Jets need to build on some basic successful things they did on Thursday night with players who have a tendency to overcomplicate their play. Wellwood and Antropov were both successful because they worked the puck well along the boards and had presence in front of the net. Wheeler came to skate and had a very strong game pushing the play at a decent pace and inspiring his mates to carry it on. Finally Andrew Ladd deviated a bit from the north-south game he likes to play and became far more noticeable in front of the net and adding some east-west movement to his actions.

Essentially the Jets need to keep building on what they do right and try not to alter the game plan too much from opponent to opponent. It is almost a style they have to adhere to no matter what they are faced with game in and out. With a 3-6 January the Jets don’t have to re-invent themselves to find success again but they do have to reclaim the identity they forged through late November and December. It’s about all the little things and not forgetting what makes the team successful as a group not individually. If repetition is the key to developing the good habits repeating the first period from the Buffalo game for three against Florida would be a good starting point.

Enjoy the Game

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