Wes Gilbertson

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Calgary Flames recall centre Justin Kirkland, place Kevin Rooney on injured reserve Calgary Flames recall centre Justin Kirkland, place Kevin Rooney on injured reserve Author of the article: Article content The Calgary Flames have recalled centre Justin Kirkland from the minors, with the 28-year-old expected to skate on the fourth line for Saturday's home-opener at the Saddledome. Advertisement 2 Article content Calgary Flames recall centre Justin Kirkland, place Kevin Rooney on injured reserve Back to video In a corresponding roster move, Kevin Rooney was placed on injured reserve. Kirkland is in his second stint with the organization, although he has yet to log a regular-season appearance in the Flaming C logo. He spent three seasons with Calgary's farm club, then based in Stockton, Calif. He returns with nine NHL outings on his resume, including a pair with the Arizona Coyotes during the 2023-24 campaign. When the Flames signed Kirkland as a free agent this summer, part of the appeal was his status as one of the AHL's top faceoff men. Rooney was injured Wednesday on a hit by Vancouver Canucks forward JT Miller. Crews had started to wheel a stretcher onto the ice when he was helped back to his feet by a pair of teammates. Asked Thursday for an update, Flames coach Ryan Huska told reporters that the 31-year-old Rooney is “doing well.” “I guess we'd consider him day-to-day now,” Huska said. “He's still getting looked at a little bit, but he's doing well. So we're happy to say that, for sure.” Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Calgary Flames recall centre Justin Kirkland, place Kevin Rooney on injured reserve Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

Imagine being Martin and Monika Honzek during Saturday's pre-game introductions at the Saddledome. Article content

Article content The family of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau shared a heartfelt thank-you to Calgary Flames fans during the broadcast of the Saturday's home-opener on Sportsnet.

In the past 25 years, Sam Honzek is just the sixth teenager to earn a spot in the Flames’ lineup for their first home game of a new season.

During Saturday’s game broadcast, Sportsnet aired a message from the Gaudreaus to Flames fans and the city of Calgary.

The Calgary Flames are undefeated. Yeah, it's early, but few — if any — predicted that they'd be 3-0 at this stage of their schedule.

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Three hot topics: Dissecting the Calgary Flames' superb start Three hot topics: Dissecting the Calgary Flames' superb start Author of the article: Article content The Calgary Flames are undefeated. Advertisement 2 Article content Three hot topics: Dissecting the Calgary Flames' superb start Back to video Yeah, it's early, but few — if any — predicted that they'd be 3-0 at this stage of their schedule. As the Flames enjoy their scorching start, and prepare for Tuesday's clash against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks, we debut a new weekly feature. Postmedia's beat reporters, Danny Austin and Wes Gilbertson, check in to debate Three Hot Topics … Are the Flames better than they were getting credit for? Can they keep this up? AUSTIN: I mean, the Flames aren't going to go 82-0, but I do think we can confidently say they're not nearly as bad as some were making them out to be this summer. Yes, they're short of the elite-elite talent that the NHL's best teams all have, but they come at opponents in waves and are getting scoring from up-and-down the lineup. So far, their goaltending has been solid with both Dustin Wolf and Dan Vladar looking good, and they're clearly comfortable with the physical side of the game. I'm still not picking them to make the playoffs, but if they can keep their current standard going they'll be in the mix a lot longer than many were predicting. Advertisement 3 Article content GILBERTSON: How many of us watched the Vancouver Canucks storm to a three-goal lead in the opening period of Game 1 and had the exact same thought? Something along the lines, ‘Yeah, it's going to be a long season for these Flames.' Jake Bean later described that as “a slap in the face with adversity right away,” and you have to admire the way they responded. I think it's way too early to say that all those projections were wrong — there's a reason nobody makes a big deal of the playoff picture at Canadian Thanksgiving — but it's worth noting that even if the rest of us want to wait and see, these guys clearly believe. That can go a long way. After Sunday's triumph in Edmonton, the Flames were tied for tops in the NHL with 16 goals for. Nine diferent played have tickled twine, with 14 collecting points. When you check the team scoring stats, what is the biggest surprise? Advertisement 4 Article content AUSTIN: I can't ignore that Rasmus Andersson is tied for the league lead in points by defencemen, with five, and I think it's notable that MacKenzie Weegar isn't far behind with three. Those two are as important as any player on the Flames' roster and are big parts of the leadership group. They're stepping up in a big way. The second-period goal that Andersson scored against the Oilers on Sunday night was spectacular and seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Edmonton crew. Andersson also scored late in the second period against the Canucks to get the Flames' comeback going, and Weegar tied things up in that game. They're big players producing big moments, which is exactly what teams need from their leaders. GILBERTSON: The biggest surprise is just the 16 goals part. Some figured this team would struggle to score, but that hasn't been an issue so far. From an individual standpoint, the biggest surprise for me is that Martin Pospisil is tied for tops on the team with five points. Make no mistake, I expected Pospisil to be a major factor — despite the added responsibilities of playing the pivot position, he leads his crew with 10 hits — but perhaps he is capable of more offensive oomph than I realized. It hasn't gone unnoticed that Pospisil's linemates, Jonathan Huberdeau and Anthony Mantha, are pushing their own pace to try to keep up with their speedy centre. (This intriguing trio has combined for six goals already.) Advertisement 5 Article content What has been the defining moment of the Flames' scorching start? AUSTIN: There have been a few but, for me, it's got to be Connor Zary's overtime winner in the opener against the Canucks. After a terrible first period that saw them down 4-1 at intermission, the Flames had fought their way back into the game. Zary's goal was a beauty and sent a signal that this team was capable of a little razzle-dazzle after they'd just shown their grit with the comeback. With four points in three games, Zary's early-season play is also indicating that there's no sophomore slump coming from the 23-year-old and the way Pospisil drove to the net and distracted the Canucks was one of those little under-the-radar things he does that make him so valuable. Advertisement 6 Article content GILBERTSON: The best moment has been Justin Kirkland's first NHL goal, and that million-watt smile from the 28-year-old as he buried a rebound Sunday to realize a lifelong dream. But for me, the defining moments — yeah, plural — have been a pair of clutch defensive contributions from third-pairing rearguard Brayden Pachal. In Vancouver, he robbed Nils Hoglander of the would-be go-ahead goal with what he later described as a mini-sticks save. Against the Philadelphia Flyers, his superb stick-check prevented Travis Konecny from finishing off a back-door tap-in that would have evened the score. This team is going to need absolutely everybody to pitch in, and those two plays by Pachal are prime examples. If Hoglander or Konecny capitalize in those moments, are we talking about a 3-0 team? Is there a Hot Topic that you'd like Danny Austin and Wes Gilbertson to discuss next week? Send you idea to [email protected] or [email protected] Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Three hot topics: Dissecting the Calgary Flames' superb start Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

The Calgary Flames are 3-0. Postmedia's Danny Austin and Wes Gilbertson weigh in on some of the key storylines that have emerged so far.

Article content TJ Brodie felt like he had travelled back in time. It was, as the former Calgary Flames defenceman described it, “sort of deja vu for me.”

There was a crowd of fans Monday at WinSport, all eager for a glimpse of Blackhawks superstar Connor Bedard. He faces the Flames on Tuesday.