Canucks 5, Canadiens 1
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Rookie center Jared McCann scored two goals, and the Vancouver Canucks beat Montreal 5-1 Tuesday to snap the Canadiens' season-opening winning streak.
Montreal (9-1-0) failed to tie the NHL record of 10 wins to begin a season, a mark shared by the 1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs and 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres.
Right winger Derek Dorsett had a goal and an assist for Vancouver, which ended a four-game losing skid and improved to 4-2-3. Right winger Radim Vrbata, on the power play, and defenseman Luca Sbisa also scored for the Canucks, who won at home for the first time this season after five losses.
Left winger Brandon Prust, playing his first game against his old team, had two assists for Vancouver but left the game late in the second period due to an ankle injury.
Center Torrey Mitchell scored for the Canadiens.
Vancouver outshot Montreal 28-26.
Mitchell scored Montreal's first goal at 2:54 of the third, cutting Vancouver's lead to 3-1. He tipped a shot from defenseman Alexei Emelin over the shoulder of Canucks goaltender Ryan Miller (25 saves).
Vrbata made it 4-1 at 7:50 of the third. With the Canucks on a power play, he took a shot that hit a Canadien's stick and bounced into the air. Vrbata whacked the puck out of the air, sending it behind Montreal goalie Carey Price (23 saves).
Dorsett made it 5-1 at 10:50 when he sent a puck across the front of the Canadiens' net that hit the skate of right winger Alexander Semin and trickled past Price.
The Canucks built a 3-0 first-period lead before a scoreless second period. Coming into the game, Montreal trailed for just 2:57 all season.
McCann opened the scoring at 2:30. Prust blasted a shot from the right faceoff circle that Price got a glove on. The puck fell out of his glove, rolled down his back and fell behind him. A charging McCann jammed it into the net for his third goal of the season.
Right winger Derek Dorsett earned an assist for his 100th NHL point.
Sbisa scored Vancouver's second goal at 9:12 on a delayed penalty. His shot from the point deflected off Montreal defenseman Nathan Beaulieu's stick and past Price.
McCann notched his second at 15:52. He took a pass from Prust in the slot and snapped a shot into the net.
NOTES: Canucks D Dan Hamhuis was a late scratch with a lower-body injury. He was replaced by D Matt Bartkowski. ... RW Jake Virtanen moved onto the second line with C Brandon Sutter and LW Alex Burrows. ... RW Jannik Hansen played on the third line with LW Sven Bartkowski and C Bo Horvat. ... LW Brandon Prust played against his old team for the first time since being traded by the Canadiens to Vancouver on July 1. ... The last time the Canucks lost five home games was in January 2009. ... Vancouver plays in Dallas Thursday and Arizona Friday. ... Montreal G Carey Price was attended by a trainer Monday after taking a high, hard shot in practice. ... Every Canadiens forward who has played a game this season has recorded at least one point. ... The Canadiens have used the same lineup for every game this season. ... Canadien scratches were D Greg Pateryn, D Jarred Tinordi, LW Paul Byron. ... Montreal's road trip continues in Edmonton Thursday.