Vancouver Canucks defenseman Arshdeep Bains’ first ‘should have been’ NHL goal | Sports News

VANCOUVER – Arshdeep Bains received a strong vote of confidence before suiting up for the hometown Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

The left winger spoke with Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and the Canucks legends told him they felt Bains was ready to score his first NHL goal.

They were right.

“I’ve been hearing that from a few guys,” Bains said after burying the goal in Vancouver’s 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. “They were all so happy for me. And it almost felt like it was meant to be.”

Bains – who hails from the Vancouver suburb of Surrey – said her mum and dad were at the bus stops to witness her milestone night.

The 23-year-old forward found a loose ball in the Penguins’ zone midway through the second half and went to the line for Daniel Sprong, who broke the ice and fired a shot past Alex Nedeljkovic. The Pittsburgh goalie couldn’t get hold of the rebound, which went to Bains and tapped it into the yawning net.

Sprong’s game felt like “a gift,” Bains said.

“I can’t even put it into words,” he said, “It was so fast and all the boys were so excited. It’s just a special moment.”

Pittsburgh called a 30-second timeout after Bains scored, giving him a few seconds to celebrate with his teammates. The Canucks let out hugs and high-fives while the Penguins hustled around their bench. Sprong ran down the ice to collect the puck — a souvenir Bains said he would give his dad.

Another colleague had some constructive criticism of the scorer.

“I wish he had a big smile in his goal. But you can see the reaction of the lads on the bench – I think we were happier than him,” said winger Kiefer Sherwood with a smile.

“But he was someone who just put his nose down and went to work. … So it’s really nice for everyone to support him and watch him do his thing.”

After going undrafted, Bains signed with the Canucks as a free agent in March 2022 following a standout campaign in which he posted 43 goals and 69 assists in 68 games for the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League.

He spent the 2022-23 campaign with the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League, and was called up to the NHL team for eight games last season.

It was in September training camp, however, that Bains really impressed. The six-foot, 184-pound forward was initially sent to Abbotsford following the club’s final round of cuts, but Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet was quick to say Bains would be back in Vancouver soon.

“He’s got speed, but he’s starting to find an identity where he can look,” Toccet said of the way Bains caught him. “He finds positions where he has to defend. He works on his game.”

Others in the Canucks’ locker room have noticed Bains’ growth, too.

Vancouver forward Elias Pettersson said he always knew his young teammate had what it took to be a good player.

“He makes plays. He has to touch to make the sauce pass and make the right decisions,” Pettersson said. “However, he has a habit of working hard, playing the right way. And I think he’s going to continue to get better for us.”

ADDITIONAL WARRANTIES

Before Saturday’s game, the Canucks saw defenseman Tyler Myers play his 1,000th NHL regular season game while Vancouver was away on the road last week.

Myers’ wife, Michela, and his three children joined him for the snow party that included a video recording of his career highlights and a number of gifts, including small silver sticks for his children.

The 34-year-old has 93 goals, 280 assists over 1,002 games – including an assist on Elias Petterson’s goal on Saturday.

SOLID DEPARTURE

The Vancouver loss capped off a tough four-game western Canadian road trip for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh’s one point in the streak came in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.

Head coach Mike Sullivan said Saturday the team has what it takes to get out of the game.

“I think a lot of it starts with the mind,” he said. “It’s a certain attitude, a certain tenacity that we have to have. We need to bounce back and we have to do a better job.”

This Canadian Press report was first published on October 27, 2024.