The Pittsburgh Penguins are sticking with Marc-Andre Fleury between the pipes.

Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said Friday Fleury "deserves the opportunity to play," even though regular season starter Matt Murray has returned to full health.

Sullivan on goalie situation: "Marc deserves the opportunity to play. He's played well for us. He's at top of his game." -SK — Pens Inside Scoop (@PensInsideScoop) May 12, 2017

Murray was healthy enough to dress in Game 7 for the first time since sustaining the lower-body injury ahead of the team's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He out started Fleury 49-38 in the regular season and a posted a 2.41 goals against average and .923 save percentage to Fleury's .909 save percentage with a 3.02 goals against average.

The Penguins faced an almost identical situation last year, when Murray got hot in the playoffs after Fleury was injured at the tail end of the regular season. Fleury would make one start in the playoffs - in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning - before Sullivan returned to Murray.

Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford praised the play of Fleury on Friday, claiming the team would not have made the Eastern Conference Final without him.

Fleury, who was the subject of trade rumours throughout the season, got the surprise start in Game 1 of the team's first round series when Matt Murray was injured in warmups.

"If we traded (Fleury), we wouldn't be in this room right now," Rutherford told the media on Friday, "You'd be in another city. If not for our goalie, we wouldn't have won that series (against Washington)."

Rutherford that though teams called on Fleury he never wavered on keeping the goaltender.

"Very happy we have the two goalies we have," Rutherford said. "I never changed my position, never wavered. Had calls asking about him."

Fleury owns a .927 save percentage in the postseason with 2.55 goals against average and an 8-4 record through the first two rounds.

Sullivan said Friday Fleury is at the top of his game right now.