Murray, who missed a
4-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday
with a concussion, was a full participant in practice Friday, one day after he took part in an optional morning skate.
"We thought he had a strong practice," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Friday. "I think the nature of this injury is different, irrespective of the position. It's hard to compare one to the other. They're all different. That's part of the challenge."
Casey DeSmith will start against the Canadiens; he made made 35 saves on 37 shots with Tristan Jarry backing up Thursday.
Murray sustained the concussion in practice Monday and was held off the ice the following two days before skating the past two days. The concussion is his third in four NHL seasons and second in nine months.
"What I do know is I think our medical staff does a really good job of making sure they take the necessary steps to protect our players the right way," Sullivan said.
Murray missed the first two games of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs after colliding with center Brayden Schenn in a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on April 9, 2016. Murray missed nine games last season after taking a puck to the head from defenseman Olli Maatta during practice Feb. 27.
Murray has said the amount of concussions he has had doesn't concern him, because each is different.
"Today was another step in the right direction, getting a full practice in," the 24-year-old said. "Everything is going pretty good."
Though Murray said DeSmith and Jarry allowed him to feel less pressure during his recovery, he also said his mindset would be the same regardless.
"[DeSmith] played awesome," Murray said. "I thought the whole team played a pretty solid game yesterday, and Casey kept us in it. ... We're lucky to have depth at our position, but my approach doesn't change. I just have to be honest with myself on how I'm feeling and be honest with the doctors."
