Artemi Panarin was in the middle of the two most critical plays in the Rangers’ 5-4 loss to the Avalanche on Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

As injuries hit key players like captain Nico Hischier (upper-body) and goalie Jacob Markstrom (knee) and their offense sputtered, the Devils went 5-5-3 in January to put them in third place in the Metropolitan Division, 10 points behind the first-place Washington Capitals.

New Jersey scored four times in the second period and Jake Allen made 24 saves as the Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-0 on Wednesday.

NEWARK, NJ - The Devils’ offense came alive, thanks to a four-goal second period, to triumph in the second half of a home-and-home series against Philadelphia in a 5-0 win at Prudential Center Wednesday night.

For good reason, the New Jersey Devils have been elated with the development of their top forward prospect, Arseni Gritsyuk. The Devils’ Russian forward prospect has emerged as one of the KHLs offensive threats,

The New Jersey Devils struggled in their first game without captain Nico Hischier, falling 4-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday. Hischier, who suffered an undisclosed injury during Saturday’s win over the Canadiens, returned to New Jersey for further evaluation and is listed as day-to-day.

BOTTOM LINE: The New Jersey Devils face the Philadelphia Flyers in a matchup of Metropolitan Division squads. New Jersey is 8-6-3 against the Metropolitan Division and 28-18-6 overall. The Devils are 8-3-1 in games they score one or more power-play goals.

The Flyers kept their composure after what could have been a deflating goal to dispatch the Devils for the second time in 10 days.

Bobby Brink, Joel Farabee and Garnet Hathaway scored to help the Philadelphia Flyers build a three-goal lead and they held on to beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Monday night.

Read the recent NHL news and rumors about Nico Hischier for fantasy hockey. New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (undisclosed) has been ruled out

Artturi Lehkonen scored a late goal against the Rangers for the second time this season and helped the Avalanche strengthen their grip on the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. * The Sena

The NHL’s trade season is upon us, and the weather forecast is cloudy, with a chance of blockbuster deals. The Colorado Avalanche sent shockwaves through the NHL last weekend, facilitating a three-team trade to move superstar winger Mikko Rantanen.