Matt Murray Expected to Miss Three to Six Weeks

Matt Murray called a thumb injury suffered during Tuesday’s game at the World Cup of Hockey “pretty minor”, but the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender will sit out the next three to six weeks with a broken hand, the team announced Saturday. As a result, Marc-Andre Fleury will likely start the season in goal for Pittsburgh.

“We’re going to have to go through a 10- to 14-day period to really see how long it will be for Matt”, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said.

According to a press release, the 22-year old suffered the injury on September 19 in a 4-3 loss against Team Russia in the World Cup of Hockey. His return date means he’ll return sometime shortly after the regular season begins.

Murray, 22, technically still qualifies as a rookie after playing in just 13 regular season games past year. This injury makes it unlikely Murray will be available for opening night against the Washington Capitals on October 13 when the Penguins raise the fourth Cup banner in franchise history.

Fleury is the Penguins’ all-time leader in career wins with 357, 131 more than Tom Barrasso.