Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray will serve as backup for Game 7 against the Washington Capitals, the team announced Wednesday.
Murray was on the ice during the Penguins’ morning skate, joining the team for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury during warmups ahead of Game 1 of the Penguins’ first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Marc-Andre Fleury started in his place, and has certainly been up to the task. Fleury has a .921 save percentage and 2.78 goals against average through 11 post-season games, one year after serving as backup to Murray during the Penguins’ 2016 Stanley Cup run.
Tristan Jarry, who was not present at the morning skate, has been backing up Fleury, but will be bumped to third string now that Murray is ready.
The Penguins had a 3-1 series lead going into Game 5, but two consecutive Washington wins has pushed this series to Game 7.
Murray has skated on his own since suffering the injury on April 12, and was seen practising on his own late last week.