Pens turn to Murray again for Game 4; Fleury remains 'day-to-day'

NEW YORK, N.Y. — The Pittsburgh Penguins will go back to Matt Murray in goal as they attempt to take a 3-1 series lead on the New York Rangers Thursday night.

Murray made 16 stops in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, his NHL playoff debut.

The other piece of goaltending news coming out of the Penguins’ pre-game optional skate was that Marc-Andre Fleury, who’s been out and dealing with a concussion since March 31, wasn’t on the ice again. Head coach Mike Sullivan said that the goaltender has not skated in the last two days.

“He’s going through a process,” Sullivan said. “When he’s ready to play we’ll be sure to let you guys know. Right now his status is day-to-day.”

"He hasn't had a setback. He's been progressively and incrementally improving on a daily basis," Fleury's agent, Allan Walsh, told Sportsnet. "He hasn't been getting worse. But he's not 100 per cent yet."

Murray’s play down the stretch for the Penguins instilled confidence in the rest of the lineup, so when he was given the Game 2 nod and played well, it was no surprise to his teammates.

"He’s done a great job. It’s fun to see,” Matt Cullen said after Game 2. “He comes with a smile on his face and he’s got a great confident attitude. I love it."

Having entered Round 1 with the possibility of Fleury returning, the Penguins’ goaltending situation has been under the spotlight since Jeff Zatkoff was named starter for the opening two games. But taking two of the first three games of the series with two different goalies shows that the team has confidence in whoever’s between the pipes.

“I think our players play the same way regardless of who’s behind them,” Sullivan said. “I said all along here we believe in the guys we have. We have three real good goalies. Regardless of who goes in the net for us, it doesn’t change our approach or our mindset or how we have to play in front of them in order to have success.”

- - - - - - -

Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY: