Bains’ goal came midway through the second period, about four minutes after the Canucks’ scoring flurry, when he managed to bury a rebound off teammate Daniel Sprong’s shot, beating Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic. Bains’ parents watched proudly from the stands at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena as their son scored his first NHL goal.

“It happened so quickly and all the guys were so happy.” Bains said after the matchreflecting on how meaningful this moment was for him and his family.

Before the game, Bains received words of encouragement from Canucks legends Henrik and Daniel Sedin, who expressed the feeling that he would have a memorable game. “They had a feeling,” Bains remarked after the match, adding, “It was almost like it was meant to happen.” His teammates were also thrilled, with forward Kiefer Sherwood joking that he wished Bains had “a bigger smile” during the celebration, emphasizing how excited the entire team was by the rookie’s accomplishment.

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet praised the Surrey native’s feat, saying: “You remember your first NHL goal; it’s pretty special,” while Canucks star Elias Pettersson praised Bains for his strong work ethic and playmaking abilities, predicting the young forward will continue to make an impact as he grows with the team.

After going undrafted, Bains signed with the Canucks as a free agent in 2022. He spent the 2022-23 season with the Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford and played eight games with Vancouver last season without save point. This season, after being assigned to Abbotsford in a cap trade, he rejoined the Canucks roster on Saturday, where he scored his first NHL goal – a moment his family and fans won’t forget. won’t soon forget.

The Canucks announced earlier today that Bains had been assigned to Abbotsford again alongside defenseman Erik Brannstrom, in what is sure to be another paper trade allowing the club to accumulate more cap space on a day off.