Journeyman Kirkland ‘absolutely living the dream’ with Calgary Flames [Video]

As the Calgary Flames continue to defy expectations, delivering their latest victory on Tuesday night was Justin Kirkland, whose NHL journey has been just as improbable.

Nine days after scoring his first NHL goal, the 28-year-old journeyman centre scored his first shootout-deciding goal as the Flames rallied late for a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With 11 points in its first six games, Calgary (5-0-1) is off to its fastest start in franchise history with Kirkland a fitting poster child.

“I just heard my name called and I looked back to double check. Me? Me?” said Kirkland with a chuckle. “It was exciting. I knew I had a job to do, and that was to go out and try to score. Happy that it went in and obviously (Dustin Wolf), he made a big save on the next one.

“So all in all, fantastic night, just absolutely living the …