ESPN NHL

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) -- Brendan Morrison scored 57 seconds in and the Vancouver Canucks netted a team-record tying six goals in the first period en route to a 6-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Morrison set the tone and Alexandre Burrows added another goal on a wraparound less than a minute later as Vancouver romped to their fourth straight win and seventh in eight games. The Canucks scored six times on their first 13 shots in the opening 14 minutes.

Alex Auld made 24 saves for the Canucks, who improved to 9-1 against the Eastern Conference and kept pace with Calgary atop the Northwest Division.

Michael Ryder scored early in the second and set up Saku Koivu's goal with 1:14 left as the Canadiens fell to 2-2 since general manager Bob Gainey fired head coach Claude Julien and took over behind the bench.

After winning their first two games for Gainey, the Canadiens lost 3-2 in Calgary on Thursday. Then they came out flat against the Canucks.

Mattias Ohlund's power-play goal at 4:20 led to a Canadiens timeout, but Markus Naslund added another power-play goal at 12:15. Henrik Sedin made it 5-0 just 62 seconds later.

That was the end of Jose Theodore's night, as the Canadiens' goalie was pulled after surrendering five goals on 11 shots.

Cristobal Huet didn't fare much better in his place.

Huet stopped Josh Green alone in tight on the first shot he faced, but Trevor Linden scored on the second -- a long wrist shot just 30 seconds after Theodore was yanked.

Even when Montreal appeared to gain momentum, it was quickly taken away.

Sheldon Souray's apparent power-play goal with 1:38 left in the first period was quickly waved off because he knocked the puck in with a high stick.

Game notes

Burrows has three goals and five points in his first 10 NHL games. The undrafted 24-year-old left winger was playing in the ECHL and on a ball hockey team before signing in Manitoba last year. He earned his first NHL contract with the Canucks after this season started. ... Vancouver G Maxime Ouellet backed up Auld one night after making 17 saves for Manitoba in a 4-2 AHL win over Hamilton, the Canadiens' affiliate. ... Canucks D Ed Jovanovski missed his 11th straight game with a groin injury, but has resumed skating. He plans to accompany the team when they leave for a seven-game, two-week road trip on Sunday.