Arshdeep Bains scored the first goal of his NHL career and his hometown Vancouver Canucks rallied for a 4-3 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
Elias Pettersson scored his first of the season as the Canucks (4-1-2) erupted with four quick goals midway through the second period en route to their fourth straight victory.
Kiefer Sherwood and J.T. Miller added tallies before Bains, who hails from the Vancouver suburb of Surrey, buried the puck 9:58 into the middle frame.
Evgeni Malkin scored and had two assists for the Penguins (3-6-1), while Anthony Beauvillier contributed one of each. Bryan Rust rounded out the scoring.
Goalie Kevin Lankinen stopped 20-of-23 shots to backstop Vancouver to its first home win of the season and Alex Nedeljkovic made 30 saves for Pittsburgh.
TAKEAWAYS
Canucks: The team’s depth showed in the second when each of its four lines scored over a six-minute span. Ten Vancouver players contributed either a goal or assist, with none putting up multiple points.
Penguins: The visitors were the dominant side across the first period, with Beauvillier opening the scoring 7:48 in. But Pittsburgh’s offence faltered afterwards, and the Penguins were outshot 34-23 across the game.
KEY MOMENT
With the Canucks down 2-0 early in the second period, Pettersson snapped a shot over Nedeljkovic from the faceoff circle to get Vancouver on the board at the 4:06 mark. The goal was his first of the season and sparked an offensive onslaught where the Canucks scored three goals in 65 seconds.
KEY STAT
Saturday marked the end of a winless four-game western Canadian road swing for Pittsburgh. The Penguins head home with just one point from the trip, coming from a 4-3 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Canucks: Continue a three-game homestand Monday against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Penguins: Return home to host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
