'Mr. Automatic': Flames thrilled by Kirkland's shootout winner

When Calgary Flames goaltender Dustin Wolf saw forward Justin Kirkland hit the ice in the sixth round of the shootout, the rookie was certain Tuesday's clash against the Pittsburgh Penguins was about to be put to rest.

"I knew we were going to win," Wolf told reporters after the Flames' 4-3 comeback win. "He's 'Mr. Automatic' when it comes to shootouts, and I don't think I've seen him miss yet. Knock on wood, let's keep it that way. It's pretty awesome to see what he's doing."

Of course, Wolf then had to do his part, turning aside Evgeni Malkin's attempt to help push the Flames' season-opening point streak to six games.

Wolf and Kirkland were teammates with the AHL's Stockton Heat in 2021-22, when the former got a front-row seat to the latter's specialty. Kirkland went seven-for-eight in the shootout that season and has scored 22 times on 35 attempts over his AHL career.

Tuesday's tally was Kirkland's first shootout goal on his first try at the NHL level. He got it done by pulling the puck into the slot and firing a wrister past Alex Nedeljkovic, but Kirkland admitted he was surprised he got the tap on the shoulder from head coach Ryan Huska.

"I just heard my name called, and I looked back to double-check (like), 'Me? Me? OK,'" he said with a laugh.

"I've had that move for a while, it's worked before," he added. "It was the most nervous I've ever been. Just unbelievable."

Huska, meanwhile, learned that he could turn to Kirkland sooner than the sixth round.

"I guess if you look at the American League stuff, he scores all the time," the bench boss said. "I was kinda kicking myself for not going to him earlier, to be quite honest with you."

He added, "He's a good person that has worked a long time to try to get himself here, and now he's having some success, so it's a really nice story for us to be a part of."

Huska also coached Kirkland as a junior with the WHL's Kelowna Rockets.

The Nashville Predators selected Kirkland in the third round of the 2014 NHL Draft. Prior to this season, he had just nine games of NHL experience under his belt, split between the Anaheim Ducks (2022-23) and Arizona Coyotes (2023-24).

The Winnipeg native signed a one-year, two-way pact with Calgary this past offseason and has since played in five straight games with the Flames. Kirkland scored his first NHL goal as a 28-year-old against the Edmonton Oilers in his second appearance of the season and has logged two assists in his last three outings.

"All in all, a fantastic night," Kirkland said Tuesday. "Just absolutely living the dream."

The 5-0-1 Flames will look to keep rolling Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

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