VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks' first win on home ice stopped the red-hot Montreal Canadiens in their tracks.
Jared McCann scored twice and Ryan Miller made 25 saves as Vancouver picked up a 5-1 victory on Tuesday to hand Montreal its first loss of the season.
"It was huge," said Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows. "It's a huge measuring stick against probably the beat team in the league right now."
The Canadiens (9-1-0) had set an NHL record with nine straight regulation wins to begin the year, and were one victory from tying the best start in league history set by the 1993-94 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres.
"We really wanted that first win at home probably more than they wanted that 10-game winning streak," said Burrows. "Overall it was a good team effort. Everyone stepped up."
Luca Sbisa, Radim Vrbata and Derek Dorsett had the other goals for the Canucks (4-2-3), while Brandon Prust added two assists as Vancouver snapped a four-game losing streak and won at Rogers Arena for the first time in six tries this season.
"We knew they had been playing good," said Dorsett. "We tried not to focus too much on the noise that was going around them. We just tried to focus on our game."
Torrey Mitchell replied for the Canadiens, while Carey Price stopped 23 shots.
"They definitely came out hard and we didn't match their intensity," said Montreal captain Max Pacioretty. "It was a statement game and they wanted to prove they could beat us, especially in their barn, and they outplayed us."
Just 0-2-2 through the first four games of a five-game homestand, the Canucks had blown leads after 40 minutes in their last two losses and were up in 3-0 before the Canadiens got on the board when Mitchell scored his fourth of the season on a deflection 2:54 into the third period.
But any thoughts of a comeback were put to rest at 7:50 when Vrbata batted a puck out of mid-air on the power play for his second to make it 4-1 before Dorsett also added his second on a bank shot off a Montreal player at 10:56.
"It was good to see that we could beat a top team," said Canucks head coach Willie Desjardins. "I think all our guys had confidence, but it was still nice to find a way and hold a lead."
The Canadiens, who had trailed for just two minutes 57 seconds during their winning streak while allowing a league-low 12 goals, saw Vancouver grab the lead just 2:30 into the first when Prust ripped a shot that Price couldn't squeeze with the glove. The puck bounced off the goalie's shoulder and rolled down his back into the crease, where McCann banged home his third of season.
Montreal's Brendan Gallagher came within inches of tying it moments later, but his one-timer on a 3-on-2 hit the post and stayed out.
The Canucks made it 2-0 at 9:12 when Sbisa scored his first of the campaign on a shot from the point that Canadiens defenceman Nathan Beaulieu tipped up and over Price on a delayed penalty.
Montreal had another great chance to get on the board after that, but Miller stretched to stop David Desharnais' shot off a feed from Tomas Fleischmann on a 2-on-0 down low.
"Everybody's got to contribute," said Miller. "The timing was good. It keeps us in the lead, it keeps us feeling good."
McCann, a 19-year-old playing just his seventh NHL game who is trying to convince the Canucks not to send him back to junior before his entry-level contract kicks in, then extended Vancouver's lead to three with 4:08 left in the period off a faceoff win in the Montreal end.
The Canadiens, who came in with a league-high 35 goals scored, came out stronger in the second period and were gifted a great opportunity with eight minutes to go on a Sbisa turnover. Pacioretty fired a shot that Miller got a piece of before Sbisa redeemed himself by clearing the loose puck from the crease.
Miller, who was part of the 2006-07 Sabres team that started the year 10-0-0, followed that up with a stop on Tomas Plekanec later in the period to maintain Vancouver's 3-0 lead before the Canucks sealed the victory in the third.
"That's probably the best team in the league right now," said Burrows. "They're fast, they move the puck well, they've got everything going for them.
"At the same time, we can't be satisfied."
Notes: Miller improved to 27-12-6 in his career against Montreal. ... Prust, who was traded by the Canadiens to the Canucks in the off-season, injured his left ankle in the second period and did not return. He spoke to the media after the game and said that X-rays were negative, but added he will miss Vancouver's upcoming two-game road trip. ... Canucks defenceman Dan Hamhuis sat out with a lower-body injury. ... Vancouver forward Jake Virtanen, also 19, picked up his first NHL point with an assist on Dorsett's goal.
