Goals goals goals

MONTREAL -- If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
At least, that's the mantra Michel Therrien seemed to be going with on Saturday morning.

"I have no reason to remove anyone from the lineup after the way we played against the Devils," he announced earlier in the day, in reference to Thursday's 5-2 win against New Jersey.
Ten hours and ten goals later, the Habs bench boss might be onto something.
The only question might be whether he'll ever have to shake things up again.
"Obviously we're playing really well. We've been playing really well 5-on-5," acknowledged Brian Flynn, who scored his first goal of the season in the first period, and then followed it up with his second 10:43 later -- both at even strength. "We got a few early, then the fourth line got to roll a little bit more -- get into rhythm, get some more ice time -- so it was a great game for us."
Yes, "a few."
It began with a six-goal (!) opening frame, a feat the Habs had not achieved since December 17, 1992 against Quebec -- the same season Montreal won its last Stanley Cup.

It ended with an impressive 10-1 rout of the Avalanche.
All that without the services of injured centers Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais, who are both out for six to eight weeks.
"A lot of people thought our offense would struggle when that happened. Obviously tonight is an anomaly, but guys have stepped up and scored," continued Flynn, on a night when every forward on the team picked up at least one point. "Mitchy [ Torrey Mitchell ] had two the game before when he got put into a different role, so I think we have a lot of character on this team and I think it'll continue."

To put that character into perspective, here are a couple more stats from Saturday:
Well, for the first time in his NHL career.
"I remember this one time as a kid, but it wasn't too serious," joked the 28-year-old postgame.
But despite what the scoreline might suggest, Saturday wasn't child's play.

"Some of those early goals were really good examples of hard work. The one that comes to mind was when [Phillip] Danault was working behind the net, gets hauled down, then gets back up to set up Lehky [ Artturi Lehkonen ] in front of the net," recalled the Habs captain. "We came out with a lot of jump, but it wasn't easy early -- definitely not. The scoreboard might have suggested that, but it was through hard work and our depth."

And for all that offense, the Habs defense also allowed just 16 shots on goal, keeping their vow to make life easier for Carey Price.
"When you're up like that, you're just trying to play for your goalie," added Pacioretty, who led the team with eight shots on goal. "We wanted to make sure that we limited their chances as the game went on, and the easiest way to do that was by playing offense."

Of course, a 10-goal outing is familiar territory for Montreal this season, which is why Saturday night was also about respect.
"You want to respect the game and respect the opponent. We were on the other end of that earlier this year, so we know what it feels like, and we know that one game doesn't make your club," stressed the night's first star. "They obviously didn't show their best, just like us in Columbus that one time when it seemed like everything went against us. Tonight it seemed like everything went against them, so we still have a lot of respect for that club, but at the same time, we liked the way that we played."