First NHL goal ‘meant to be’ for homegrown Vancouver Canucks winger Arshdeep Bains

Arshdeep Bains got a coagulated ballot of assurance earlier suiting up for his hometown Vancouver Canucks connected Saturday.

The left-winger spoke with Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and the Canucks legends told him they had a feeling Bains was poised to people his archetypal NHL goal.

They were right.

“I’d been proceeding that from a mates guys,” Bains said aft helium buried the winning extremity successful Vancouver’s 4-3 triumph implicit the Pittsburgh Penguins connected Saturday. “They’re each beauteous blessed for me. And it astir felt similar it was meant to be.”

Bains — who hails from the Vancouver suburb of Surrey — said his ma and dada were successful the stands to spot his milestone night.

The 23-year-old guardant picked up a escaped puck successful Penguins’ territory midway done the 2nd play and dished disconnected to linemate Daniel Sprong, who dashed down the crystal and blasted a changeable into Alex Nedeljkovic’s pads. The Pittsburgh goalie couldn’t drawback the rebound, which popped retired to Bains and helium tapped it into the yawning net.

Sprong’s play felt similar “a gift,” Bains said.

“I can’t truly adjacent enactment it successful the words,” helium said. “It conscionable happened truthful accelerated and each the guys were truthful happy. It’s conscionable a peculiar moment.”

Pittsburgh called a 30-second clip retired aft Bains scored, giving him a fewer moments to observe the infinitesimal with his teammates. The Canucks doled retired hugs and precocious fives arsenic the Penguins huddled astatine their bench. Sprong raced down the crystal to cod the puck — a memento that Bains said he’ll springiness to his dad.

One teammate had immoderate constructive disapproval for the extremity scorer.

“I privation helium had a bigger grin connected his goal. But you spot the guys’ absorption connected the seat — I deliberation we were happier than helium was,” winger Kiefer Sherwood said with a grin.

“But he’s been a feline that’s conscionable enactment his chemoreceptor down and proceed to spell to work. … So it really, truly feels bully for everyone to benignant of enactment him and ticker him spell astir his thing.”

After going undrafted, Bains signed with the Canucks arsenic a escaped cause successful March 2022 pursuing a standout run wherever helium enactment up 43 goals and 69 assists successful 68 games for the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League.

He spent the 2022-23 run with the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks, past was called up to the NHL squad for 8 games past season.

It was successful September’s grooming camp, though, wherever Bains truly impressed. The six-foot, 184-pound guardant was initially sent to Abbotsford pursuing the club’s last circular of cuts, but Canucks caput manager Rick Tocchet was speedy to accidental Bains would beryllium backmost successful Vancouver soon.

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“He’s got immoderate speed, but he’s starting to benignant of find an individuality wherever helium tin cheque also, too,” Tocchet said of however Bains has caught his attention. “He’s uncovering the positions wherever to beryllium defensively. He’s moving connected his game.”

Others successful the Canucks’ locker country person noticed Bains’ growth, too.

Vancouver’s prima guardant Elias Pettersson said he’s ever known his young teammate had what it takes to beryllium a bully player.

“He makes plays. He has to interaction to marque a condiment walk and marque the close decisions,” Pettersson said. “But then, helium has a wont of moving hard, playing the close way. And I deliberation he’s conscionable going to proceed getting amended for us.”

More milestones

Before Saturday’s game, the Canucks recognized defenceman Tyler Myers who played his 1,000th regular-season NHL crippled portion Vancouver was distant connected a roadworthy travel past week.

Myers’ wife, Michela, and his 3 children joined him for an on-ice ceremonial that included a video montage of his vocation highlights and a fig of gifts, including metallic mini sticks for his kids.

The 34-year-old bluish liner has 93 goals, 280 assists implicit 1,002 games — including a helper connected Elias Petterson’s extremity Saturday.

Tough swing

The nonaccomplishment to Vancouver capped a hard four-game occidental Canadian roadworthy travel for the Penguins.

Pittsburgh’s lone constituent from the plaything came successful a 4-3 overtime nonaccomplishment to the Calgary Flames connected Tuesday.

Head manager Mike Sullivan said Saturday that the squad has what it takes to get retired of the rut.

“I deliberation a batch of it starts with a mindset,” helium said. “It’s a definite attitude, it’s a definite resilience that we person to have. We request immoderate pushback and we’ve got to bash a amended job.”