Defenseman Kukan hurt; Murray rejoins team

Just as the Blue Jackets are on the verge of getting back Ryan Murray, they’re losing other defensemen to injury.

Dean Kukan suffered an upper-body injury in the first period Sunday against the Penguins and didn’t return. Jackets coach John Tortorella said after the game that he didn’t have information on Kukan’s injury.

Markus Nutivaara already was sitting out after he was “banged up” Friday against the Flyers, according to Tortorella.

In Nutivaara’s absence, Tortorella paired Scott Harrington with Jack Johnson and kept Kukan and David Savard together, noting, “We really like the pair of Savvy and Kukes. They’ve come along.”

Kukan, who had an assist in each of his previous two games, has been in the Jackets’ lineup in all but one of the past 11 games. General manager Jarmo Kekalainen said the AHL call-up “looks like a guy who can play on this level without any problems. That makes our decisions harder, and that’s a good thing.”

Kekalainen was referring to potentially trading a defenseman — presumably Jack Johnson, who has asked to be traded — before the deadline next Monday.

Murray, who was loaned to AHL Cleveland on Saturday for conditioning purposes, scored a goal for the Monsters in Sunday’s 5-3 loss at Chicago, and he rejoined the Jackets after the game. He’s “close to being ready to play here again, and hopefully he will Tuesday” at New Jersey, Kekalainen said.

‘Definitely disheartening’

Defenseman Seth Jones said it was “definitely disheartening” to learn that Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly was racially taunted by four fans in Chicago during Saturday’s game. Smith-Pelly and Jones are two of about 30 black players in the NHL.

“There’s no place in our game for it,” said Jones, the Jackets’ ambassador for the NHL’s “Hockey Is For Everyone” initiative. “It’s sucks, but it’s life. … Hopefully, no one (else) has to go through that.”

Jones said he hasn’t encountered racism during his hockey career.

Foligno injured

Forward Nick Foligno suffered a lower-body injury delivering a hit late in the second period. After immediately going into the dressing room, Foligno returned to skate one shift in the third before the team announced he was finished for the night. “It looked like a skate went right through his sock,” Cam Atkinson said. Tortorella said after the game that he didn’t have an update on Foligno.

Slap shots

Artemi Panarin scored his ninth goal in six career games against the Penguins. Panarin, who has a goal in all three matchups this season, also has three career assists against the Penguins. … Winger Sonny Milano, activated from injured reserve Friday, also scored a goal Sunday for Cleveland in his first action since suffering a torn oblique muscle on Jan. 8.