'That's A Sneaky Release'

He’s got ice in his veins.

And now Matvei Gridin’s got goals in back-to-back exhibition games.

But it was his tally that didn’t count in his individual stats - that cool, calculated snapshot that won the game for the Flames in Monday night’s shootout in Seattle - that’s got people talking.

It’s got Gridin talking, too; he referred to his shootout attempt post-game as the ‘Gridin Signature,’ and more a few of his Flames teammates were pretty pumped to see the move pay off.

“He knows he’s got a good shot,” Matt Coronato chuckled Tuesday afternoon.

“You can see he's got some swag to his game,” Jonathan Huberdeau added with a grin.

But Calgary’s shootout specialist from a season ago offered a more clinical analysis of just what made Gridin’s attempt as deadly as it was, and what makes shooters tick when the spotlight shines upon them.

“I've said it before we've got some stuff before the game, some video that plays over and over so you can kind of get a little idea of the goalie,” Justin Kirkland explained during a post-practice chat Tuesday. “You can see their depth, their movement, their tendencies.

“I think everybody has a different approach to it. You do a little bit of homework and then you find what works for you as well.”

Kirkland’s manoeuvre - a left-to-right cut across the slow slot and quick, glove-hand release - works for him, to the tune of four shootout lamplighters in 2024-25.

While Gridin froze Grubauer with his tactical approach, Kirkland’s attempts are also poetry in motion.

“I think the more you can get them to move laterally, the better,” said Kirkland of how he likes to challenge opposing netminders. “Every goalie plays it different, so, yeah, I think that's definitely the focus on it though.”

Clearly, Gridin’s pinpoint puck to the top corner of Philipp Grubauer’s net Monday night worked. The 19-year-old went as far as to say he’s scored his last five shootout tallies the exact same way.

For Kirkland, who himself has a ‘Signature’ shootout move, Gridin’s decider was hopefully a sign of growing confidence, and of things to come.

“it was great for him,and I was also really happy to see Wolfie get the win in his hometown there in front of family and friends,” Kirkland said of Monday’s 2-1 triumph at Climate Pledge Arena.

“For Grids, that's a sneaky release, it was nice to see him have some confidence going in.”