Devils 5, Capitals 0
DEVILS 5, CAPITALS 0: Zach Parise recorded his second career hat trick and Johan Hedberg made 23 saves as New Jersey blanked host Washington to halt a four-game losing streak.
Dainius Zubrus and Patrik Elias each registered a goal and an assist while rookie Adam Henrique and David Clarkson both set up a pair of tallies for the Devils, who are 1-1-1 on their three-game road trip and have won eight of 10 away from home.
Parise opened the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the first period, converting a backhand pass from Clarkson at the right side of the crease. New Jersey's captain doubled the lead with 2:10 remaining in the session as he backhanded the puck into a vacant net after Michal Neuvirth had stopped Ilya Kovalchuk's shot from the right faceoff circle.
Zubrus made it 3-0 only 29 seconds later and Parise completed his three-goal performance just over three minutes into the second, beating Neuvirth high to the glove side from the slot for his team-leading 27th tally of the season.
Elias capped the scoring with five minutes left in the period as he took a feed from Zubrus during a 2-on-0 shorthanded rush and backhanded the puck past Neuvirth. Hedberg turned aside seven shots in the first period, 11 in the second and five in the third en route to his 20th career shutout and third this season.
Neuvirth stopped 15 shots for the Capitals, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Washington dropped to 1-1-0 on its five-game homestand.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Parise's hat trick was his first since Nov. 30, 2007 against Montreal. ... Washington had earned at least one point in four of its previous five home games (3-1-1). ... The Capitals lost in regulation to the Devils for the first time in six meetings (3-1-2). They have dropped nine of their last 12 games against Atlantic Division opponents. ... Washington remained one point behind Winnipeg for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. It trails first-place Florida by three points in the Southeast Division.