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NEWARK, N.J. — Jack Hughes had his first career NHL hat trick, Vitek Vanecek made 38 saves against his former team and the New Jersey Devils beat the Washington Capitals 5-1 for coach Lindy Ruff's 800th victory. Ruff became the fifth NHL coach to reach the mark. The former Buffalo player won 571 games with the Sabres from 1997-2011. He had 165 wins in five seasons with Dallas and has 64 in two-plus seasons with New Jersey. The Atlantic Division-leading Devils have won two in a row after seeing their franchise-record 13-game winning streak snapped by Toronto. Devils captain Nico Hischier and Fabian Zetterlund also scored. John Carlson scored for Washington and Charlie Lindgren made 24 saves.
