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Winnipeg activates Kane from IR, will face Toronto tonight

Winnipeg Jets v Toronto Maple Leafs

TORONTO, CANADA- JANUARY 5: Evander Kane #9 of the Winnipeg Jets skates in the warm-up prior to a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 5, 2012 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

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The Jets have activated leading goalscorer Evander Kane from injured reserve for tonight’s game against the Maple Leafs, marking the first time the 20-year-old will have suited up since Jan. 19.

While Kane went on IR in mid-January, it’s believed he suffered the concussion against the New York Islanders on Dec. 20. He played the rest of the Isles game and 14 more before the concussion symptoms worsened.

“I don’t think it was affecting my play,” Kane told the Winnipeg Free Press. “It was a long time ago. I got over it quickly. I just wasn’t feeling the same as I was most of the year so I wanted to try to take a step back and rest up and get better.”

According to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun, Kane will skate on a line with Nikolai Antropov and Kyle Wellwood.

The return couldn’t come at a bigger time for the Jets as they look to stay alive in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. One of the teams Winnipeg’s chasing is Toronto -- currently in 7th place with 62 points -- while another, Washington, will host the Jets on Thursday. The Caps sit ninth in the East with 58 points, though they’re just one back of Southeast Division-leading Florida.