Murray making progress, Rust expected to return for Penguins

Matt Murray faced full shots during the Pittsburgh Penguins morning skate Wednesday. It's the second straight day the goaltender faced full shots since sustaining a concussion Feb. 26, when he took a puck off his mask from defenseman Olli Maatta during practice.

Murray will not be in the lineup when the Penguins play the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV), but Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said he's getting better each day.
"Matt took full shots today. That's obviously a big step for him," Sullivan said. "We'll see how he responds but I think he's making significant progress."
Sullivan said he wasn't sure how many starts Murray will get over the final 13 games of the regular season.
"We're just trying to get him healthy and we'll make those decisions accordingly down the stretch," Sullivan said. "We're trying to get him healthy, get him in a position where he feels comfortable getting back in the net. We know he's going to be that guy that's going to help us win here down the stretch."

Pittsburgh (40-26-4) is second in the Metropolitan Division with 84 points, one behind the Washington Capitals and three ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Goalies Casey DeSmith and Tristan Jarry have shared the starting role in the seven games Murray has missed. DeSmith is expected to start for the second straight game after making 17 saves in a 3-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
Murray is 23-13-2 with a 2.82 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in 41 games.
Forward Bryan Rust, out since sustaining a concussion March 7, is a game-time decision, Sullivan said.
Rust would play on the third line with Derick Brassard and Phil Kessel against the Rangers.

"I think I can be that energy guy for them," Rust said. "I can go retrieve pucks. I can be hard on D-men. I can dart in and out of space to try and create some lanes, create a little more space for them to do what they do with the puck."
Rust has 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 57 games this season, his fourth in the NHL, and 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 17 games since the All-Star break.