Kukan, Harrington get on the ice

PHILADELPHIA — It is not a role that either player wanted this season, but providing defensive depth is what the Blue Jackets are asking of Dean Kukan and Scott Harrington.

Each is getting a chance to do that with Markus Nutivaara out because of an unspecified lower body injury, but Kukan and Harrington will return to watching games in street clothes once he returns.

“I think we’ve settled on the six” regular defensemen, coach John Tortorella said Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center before a game against Philadelphia. “Kuks will play tonight. Harry’s out. I’m kind of alternating them through, with Nuti being hurt.”

Harrington, who hadn’t played since the season opener on Oct. 4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, played Thursday in a 4-3 overtime victory against the Carolina Hurricanes at Nationwide Arena. He finished with a minus-2 rating after being on the ice for two of the Hurricanes’ three first-period goals, but he played a solid 12:15 overall — adding two shots, two hits and three blocked shots.

Kukan’s appearance against the Flyers was his third game of the season and his first since logging 15:07 in a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders on Oct. 19 at Nationwide.

“It’s not easy,” said Kukan, who played more regularly at the end of last season, including the playoffs, because of injuries to other players. “After last season, you knew that we had a lot of defensemen, but I thought I was going to play a little more than I (have) so far. But we have eight defensemen, and all of us are good players, so it’s just not enough (room). But it’s my third game now, and I’m just trying to do my best, so I can somehow stay in the lineup.”

Jenner making strides

The plus/minus rating doesn’t hold nearly as much weight as it did before the rise of advanced statistics, but a minus-7 in 10 games is still a number that no player would like next to his name.

That was center

Boone Jenner’s situation heading into the Flyers game, but the veteran had shown signs of breaking out of his struggles.

After going without a point in the first seven games, resulting in a minus-6 rating, Jenner scored two goals in the first two periods Saturday night against the Flyers to give him three goals and an assist in the past four games. He also had the same wingers for the second straight game, being flanked by Sonny Milano and Josh Anderson.

“The chances are coming,” Jenner said. “You’re working hard and putting yourself in those spots, but you want to be able to bury them and chip in offensively a little bit more for the team.”

bhedger@dispatch.com @Brianhedger