Journeyman Kirkland ‘living the dream’ with Calgary Flames this season

As the Calgary Flames proceed to defy expectations, delivering their latest triumph connected Tuesday nighttime was Justin Kirkland, whose NHL travel has been conscionable arsenic improbable.

Nine days aft scoring his archetypal NHL goal, the 28-year-old journeyman centre scored his archetypal shootout-deciding extremity arsenic the Flames rallied precocious for a 4-3 triumph implicit the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With 11 points successful its archetypal six games, Calgary (5-0-1) is disconnected to its fastest commencement successful franchise past with Kirkland a fitting poster child.

“I conscionable heard my sanction called and I looked backmost to treble check. Me? Me?” said Kirkland with a chuckle. “It was exciting. I knew I had a occupation to do, and that was to spell retired and effort to score. Happy that it went successful and evidently (Dustin Wolf), helium made a large prevention connected the adjacent one.

Kirkland’s extremity came successful the sixth circular of the shootout. Dustin Wolf past denied Evgeni Malkin to clinch the win.

“I got to play with (Kirkland) successful my archetypal pro twelvemonth successful Stockton and arsenic soon arsenic I saw helium was going for the shootout, I knew we were going to win,” said Wolf. “He’s Mr. Automatic erstwhile it comes to shootouts, I don’t deliberation I’ve seen him miss yet.”

That scouting study was corroborated post-game by manager Ryan Huska.

“Look astatine the American League stuff, helium scores each the time. So I was kicking myself for not going to him earlier, to beryllium rather honorable with you,” said Huska.

While Huska coached Kirkland during his days down the seat for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, helium knows Kirkland is simply a antithetic feline now.

“The feline backmost past was much astir each accomplishment and not a batch of will,” the manager said. “Now he’s flipped it wherever helium inactive has a large accomplishment set, but I would accidental he’s much of a harder subordinate than a accomplishment subordinate now.”

Now, similar everyone other successful Calgary, Huska is enjoying watching the Kirkland communicative plays out.

A third-round prime by Nashville successful 2014, the guardant from Winnipeg, Man., entered the twelvemonth with 412 games successful the minors and conscionable 9 NHL games connected his resume, during which helium had gone scoreless.

He’s got a extremity and an assist, and present a shootout winner, successful 4 games with the Flames.

“He’s bully idiosyncratic that has worked a agelong clip to effort to get himself here, and present he’s having immoderate success,” said Huska. “So it’s a truly bully communicative for america to beryllium a portion of.”

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“It’s inspiring,” said Nazem Kadri, who tied the crippled with 43 seconds near successful the 3rd play and the goalie pulled. “I truly had nary thought of his communicative erstwhile helium came up here. Learned much astir him becoming my teammate and evidently scoring his archetypal goal. So it’s ever a feline you’re rooting for erstwhile helium puts successful the enactment arsenic well, and he’s a bully teammate.”

Kirkland is conscionable soaking it each in.

“It’s special,” helium said. “Just coming successful each day, trying to person a bully attitude, bully enactment ethic, and if I’m successful the lineup, great, and immoderate mode that I tin assistance this squad win, that’s what I’m consenting to do.”

Calgary dealt distant respective halfway pieces astatine past year’s commercialized deadline, opening up spots for guys similar Kirkland. Now the rebuilding Flames proceed to beryllium skeptics wrong.

“We recognize the anticipation of ourselves, but we recognize the anticipation of the extracurricular satellite arsenic well,” said Kadri. “And I deliberation that motivates america and fuels the occurrence a small bit. You ever privation to beryllium radical wrong, and that’s what we’re trying to bash this year.”

Defying those expectations takes the full team, Wolf said.

“Every azygous idiosyncratic successful this country is contributing, and that’s precisely you request to triumph hockey games,” said the 23-year-old, who had 35 saves Tuesday, and 4 much successful the shootout.

“You can’t trust connected three, four, 5 guys. It takes a full group, and it’s been beauteous chill to spot however good we’ve done for the archetypal six games. And we conscionable request to support our ft connected the state and support going.”