Kane trying to find way back onto score sheet

PHILADELPHIA -- After scoring 19 goals last season, Evander Kane looked like a player on the rise, a rapidly developing power forward with speed and skill.

This season, however, it's been a bit of a struggle, as he has just 1 goal through his first seven games.

"There's more to the game than scoring," Kane said following yesterday's morning skate. "At the same time, I want to produce. I want to produce consistently, I want to produce nightly."

Jets captain Andrew Ladd said Kane's scoring woes are more endemic of the entire team, rather than one particular player not pulling his load offensively. As a team, the Jets are tied for 22nd with just 17 goals.

"There's lots of guys (not scoring)," said Ladd. "I've only scored twice. My line hasn't produced as much as needed. Evander has had a little trouble putting the puck in the net. He's still doing some good things. He's a strong skater, powerful, takes the puck to net."

Coach Claude Noel said the key for Kane, in his third season, still is learning how to best make use of his vast array of talent.

"What we're trying to do is teach him the way we feel is the best and most efficient way for him to play to be an effective player," he said. "For us, he has to play with some physicality and use his speed and drive and get to the net. He does that well."

Getting physical is something the 6-foot-2, 195-pound left wing enjoys -- he's second on the team with 20 hits.

"For myself, I like to be involved physically … in all aspects of the game," said Kane. "When I'm being physical and taking the puck to the net and getting lots of shots, that's one of the big things for my game."

In the Jets' last game, he was shifted onto a line with leading scorer Alexander Burmistrov and center Nik Antropov, and that trio will be together again tonight.

"I think he's been good," said Noel. "He was good with Burmistrov and Antropov, we moved him up there. He's like a lot of guys, trying to get on the board. The last few games he's played with some real physicality and some real energy and has been real good for us."

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK