JN AirMail: Why Don’t The Jets Always Work Full Time?

This week in the ol’ mail bag, we ponder why the Jets can put together 60 minute efforts against teams like the Nashville Predators, but fall apart against struggling teams such as the Dallas Stars. We also appreciate the work of 2/3rds of the Jets fourth line.

JetsNation AirMail is where we ask for your questions, you either @ them to us on Twitter, send them to us on Facebook or even old school electronic mail them to us and then we answer them here!

Eric M: It felt like the Jets mentally started their break a little early. They took their foot off the gas and didn’t play with urgency or with their heads to make the best plays. The reffing didn’t seem to be ideal, but that’s no excuse to playing such a mentally checked out game.

Zee: Bye week laziness and also a bit of Jets playing down to their opponent. They took something like 19 minutes worth of penalties against Dallas. It’s hard to get anything started when you’re too busy on the PK. Winnipeg played a very competitive game against Nashville because they HAD to.

Sean: The Jets had just finished two incredibly important and emotional games for the team. They roll into Dallas, a team 10+ points back in the standings on the front end of their long vacation. The team was mentally checked out, while Dallas is fighting for their lives already. Classic let down game.

Josh: Dallas got spanked by the Jets last year, and even 2 years ago in every meeting between the 2 teams, so I think the Stars really come to play when they play the Jets (at home anyways). If the Jets could have gotten anything going on the power play that could have been a totally different game. Combine a lacking power play and their penalty kill that let them down with a Dallas team that has a fire under their ass when they play the Jets and that’s what you get. As the others mentioned as well, the Jets played down to Dallas’s level instead of playing anything resembling their game.

Art: This is like the second or third time the Jets have gone into a game against a team that’s lost four or five in a row and laid an egg against them. I don’t know if it’s a mental preparation thing for them, if they just don’t expect the team that’s slumping to come out all a house of fire or what, but it’s a bit concerning. Second half of the season they’ll need to be better and stop with the playing 1/3rd of a game act they’ve tried to perform a few too many times this season.

Eric M: Copp and Appleton have been a delightful surprise. I’d like to see some more games from Appleton, given how young and inexperienced he is, but as always it appears that the Jets management has the future well in hand.

Josh: Appleton has done nothing but impress me since he was recalled. He has good speed, a scoring touch and is defensively responsible, all things that you like to see out of your bottom-6. Id love to see PoMo build a 4th line around these guys, but i am also unsure about Copp’s future with the looming cap crunch, so we will have to wait and see what happens.

Zee: I enjoy Copp/Appleton! But lemme take a second to gush on Appleton, I really like his game lately. I think he’s transitioning into the NHL quite well and I think he’s something Jets fans should get excited about. I’d love for him to get bumped up and get more ice time, though I don’t see that happening just yet. So sure, let’s build a 4th line around those two!

Sean: What more can you say about Mason Appleton, the guy has already overachieved and appears to just be getting better. He has done more than fit in on that fourth line and I think the Jets have found another diamond in the rough. I look forward to see just how far up to roster he can eventually go. Copp on the other hand doesn’t surprise me, he goes in and does the same job no matter who he’s playing with or where in the lineup he is.

Art: Could we put Petan with those two for a few games and settle the whole Petan thing once and for all? I like Copp and Appleton together and they’ve done well with Lemieux who I think has benefited from playing with them more than he’s directly contributed. Let’s get Petan in there and see if he can gel with that line.