STANLEY CUP FINALS : Damphousse, Muller Are Back in Form : Montreal: After going without goals in the first three games, the Canadiens’ top scorers generate a 2-0 lead.

A team whose two best scorers didn’t have a goal in the first three games of the Stanley Cup finals is a team that can hoist the trophy with a victory Wednesday.

Vincent Damphousse led the Montreal Canadiens in scoring this season with 97 points, and Kirk Muller was second with 94. They have been 1-2 in the playoffs, too.

But until Game 4 at the Forum on Monday night, neither had a goal in this series.

Damphousse and Muller put an end to their goal droughts by the middle of the second period Monday, giving Montreal a 2-0 lead that became a 3-2 victory when John LeClair showed his uncanny overtime brilliance again.

The Canadiens are a defensive team with balanced scoring, and they skated along fine with Damphousse and Muller contributing two assists each in the first three games.

“It’s been that way the whole season,” Damphousse said. “We’ve scored some goals, but I’ve had problems scoring since the beginning of the series. Other guys have contributed. It’s 20 guys on this team. Everybody chips in. When it’s time, the other guys work hard. What makes us good is we don’t rely on one or two guys. Everybody’s playing good right now.”

The Canadiens’ punch has come from unlikely sticks. Eric Desjardins, a defenseman, had all three Montreal goals in Game 2. LeClair has won two games in overtime.

With a supporting cast like that, Damphousse and Muller don’t worry so much about personal hard times.

Muller--the second pick overall in the NHL draft behind Mario Lemieux in 1984--broke through in the first period on a quick-as-a-snap unassisted goal after winning a faceoff from Jari Kurri.

“It’s just one of those things you try every once in while,” Muller said. “Maybe one time out of 10 that you try it, it might work. You try to go forward out of the faceoff and get a quick shot on net.”

Shot and goal and a 1-0 Canadien lead.

It was a quick comeuppance for King goaltender Kelly Hrudey, who moments before had practically been trapped inside his own net when Muller, pushed into the net by Marty McSorley, gave a surreptitious push to the goal and turned it over, so the opening faced the boards behind the crease.

Muller smiled.

“I got knocked into it,” he said. “We caught a quick whistle.”

Damphousse was most eager to talk about LeClair again after the game, but pleased to have contributed just the same.

Damphousse was trying to pass to Mike Keane when the puck came back at him and he one-timed it past Hrudey.

The Kings came back to tie the score and force yet another overtime.

The Canadiens had it clear in their minds how they had twice beaten the Kings in the first minute of overtime. They knew the Kings would come out firing in an attempt to avoid another such fate.

This time, the Canadiens sat back.

“The only thing I could say is that we didn’t panic,” Muller said. “We knew they’d go for it, and we laid back--maybe too long.”

LeClair lays back only so long, it seems.

Damphousse and Muller got to smile.

“Twenty guys,” Muller said.