MONTREAL — The Rangers put the frenzy in the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy.
All 32 teams may have been in action Tuesday night, but the Blueshirts put on a performance befitting of the league’s moniker for its version of NFL Red Zone in a 7-2 demolition of the Canadiens at Bell Centre.
The Habs were overwhelmed quickly. Allowing four goals on the first 10 shots will do that.
One came after the other until suddenly nine of the Rangers’ 18 skaters were on the scoresheet halfway through the first period. Twelve of 18 was the final count.
There was no opportunity given to get back into the game. The Rangers never relented.
Crushing the opponents they’re supposed to, the Rangers have not only set a franchise record for the longest point streak to begin a season by picking up at least one in six straight contests, but they also tied the team record for the longest road winning streak to start a campaign.
“We got a lot out of all the lines right from the drop of the puck, maybe the best team win of the year,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of his team, which became the first in franchise history to score at least four goals in each of the first six games of the season — a feat that only three other NHL teams have accomplished since 1990-91.
Goals continue to come in abundance for the Rangers, who have an NHL-high 14 players who have scored a goal and 18 different players who have notched at least one point.
After the Canadiens generated a couple chances in the opening seconds, the Rangers came down the other way and Mika Zibanejad scored from the left circle in transition to put his team up 1-0 less than a minute into the game.
From there, the Blueshirts just piled it on.
Adam Edstrom chased down a cleared puck that Canadiens players thought was going to be whistled dead for icing. The big Swede won the puck race, flipped it back to Jonny Brodzinski and the veteran forward scored to double the Rangers lead.
An individual effort from Reilly Smith less than five minutes later allowed the Rangers to go up 3-0.
The Rangers second power-play unit later got in on the action, beginning and ending with Filip Chytil.
After pickpocketing Jake Evans, the Czech center carried it up ice before crashing the net and burying a feed from Smith at the 11:05 mark.
Montreal then pulled goalie Sam Montembeault, who allowed four goals on 10 shots, in favor of Cayden Primeau.
A pair of goals from Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, one at the end of the first period and one on the power play, allowed Montreal to save face after a rough first 11 minutes.
“The movement we’re creating,” said Braden Schneider, who scored his second goal of the season in the second period, before Chytil added his second of the night and Kaapo Kakko recorded his first of the season in the final frame. “It’s not just three forwards working down low, I feel like our D are getting involved, our D are diving down, our D are getting to the middle. Our forwards are cycling up high. Everyone’s playing five positions all at once. When we get in the O-zone, it feels like we have so many options that can open up.
“When we start feeling good and start connecting on the plays, good things seem to happen.”
