WASHINGTON -- The Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals both began the game one point away from a playoff spot. The Stars? They played like a team determined to get to there for the first time since 2008. The Capitals? They looked like a group tired of having their yearly routines disrupted by such a trivial thing as post-season hockey. It was no contest. The Stars 5-0 win over the Capitals on Tuesday night was a victory of confidence over embarrassment. Dallas has won five of six, outscoring opponents 16-5 over their past three games. "Its a big obstacle," said Ray Whitney, who scored in the second period. "Its been, what, five years now? ... Were no different than anybody else whos been out for a while. We want to get in pretty bad." The victory, at least for a few hours, moved the Stars one point ahead of the Phoenix Coyotes for the final post-season berth in the Western Conference. The Coyotes then moved into a tie with Dallas by picking up a point in a shootout loss to Winnipeg later Tuesday. "Its scoreboard-watching time," Whitney said. The Capitals, meanwhile, were booed heavily in their home rink, particularly after an abysmal stretch in the second period in which they allowed several odd-man rushes, took a slashing penalty and gave up two goals in 34 seconds. "If I was a fan, Id be booing us right now," said goaltender Braden Holtby, who relieved Jaroslav Halak in the second period after Dallas third goal. "A playoff race like were in? To lose 5-0, its awful. Theres no words for it." The Capitals began their run of playoff seasons in 2008. Like Dallas, they started the day as a ninth-place team, but they ended up dropping a spot to 10th. They would lose a tiebreaker against every team contending for the final post-season spots in the Eastern Conference. They have lost four straight and were shut out for the seventh time this season. Alex Ovechkin - the leagues leading goal-scorer - hasnt scored a 5-on-5 goal in more than a month. "If somehow we make the playoffs playing like this, who are we kidding?" coach Adam Oates said. "We have to figure out a way to get better. We have to stick together." Tyler Seguin scored his 33rd goal, Dustin Jeffrey got his first two of the season, and Whitney and Ryan Garbutt also scored for the Stars. Alex Chiasson had three assists, and Kari Lehtonen made 35 saves for his fourth shutout. After over-relying on Seguin and Jamie Benn to carry the scoring load, Dallas suddenly has been getting points from seemingly everyone. "If you look at our top line, I think a lot of teams are focusing on that. Theyre getting the harder matchups," said Jeffrey, who has been back and forth to the minors after being claimed off waivers in November. "We have to be able to score up and down our lineup." Seguin redirected Benns wrister from the left circle in the first period, then there were Capitals miscues aplenty in the second, with the Stars taking advantage. Alex Goligoskis long pass sprang a 2-on-0 break for Whitneys goal. Jeffrey scored shortly afterward, then again in the third. Garbutt capped the scoring with a short-handed goal on a breakaway. "We had a lot of 2-on-1s, and we even had a 2-on-0," Whitney said. "Not often do you see that many scoring chances." Ovechkin last had a 5-on-5 point on Feb. 27, a streak of 16 games. Nicklas Backstrom, who leads the teams in points, is also without a 5-on-5 goal since Feb. 27. Multiple players in the Capitals locker room faulted the teams lack of urgency. "It cant be justified. Its terrible. ... Its like we expect the next guy to make the play," defenceman Karl Alzner said. "Its been kind of off and on like that for a lot of the season, and weve got away with it at times. It clearly hasnt worked the last little bit, and you pay for it in the end." Notes: D Patrik Nemeth made his NHL debut for the Stars as D Aaron Rome sat out with an injury. . Capitals D Patrick Wey sat out after taking an uppercut in a fight that forced him out of Saturdays loss at Nashville. Washington RW Dustin Penner (illness) and D Jack Hillen (upper-body injury) also missed the game. ... Capitals F Chris Brown played after getting called up from the AHL earlier in the day. Adidas NMD XR1 For Sale . Both moves were announced Tuesday. The Titans had waived Matthews on Saturday when they promoted wide receiver Michael Preston from the practice squad. Wholesale NMD .NYCFC confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that this week Lampard signed a contract to start in July — midway through the new teams first season in MLS. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/wholesale-...lack-china.html. The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday. Adidas NMD Clearance . - The Oakland Athletics say they are stopping negotiations to extend their lease at the Coliseum. Fake NMD Human Race For Sale . -- Once again, Carlos Santana was a huge hit in Kansas City.MONTREAL -- A lot of fingers were pointed lately at Max Pacioretty and his centre David Desharnais over the Montreal Canadiens weak goal production. That was put to rest, at least for now, on Tuesday night when Pacioretty got a natural hat trick in the second period and the Canadiens skated to a 6-2 NHL victory over the Minnesota Wild. Pacioretty picked up his first goals in 10 games since Oct. 12 in Vancouver, although he missed eight games with a leg injury during that stretch. "Theres a lot of things probably being said about me out there -- thats how it is in this business when youre not performing," said Pacioretty, who among other slights, had been criticized for being a "perimeter" player of late. "Everyone goes through it, but it felt good tonight. "You can look at stats all you want but I missed a lot of good opportunities lately. One game I had eight shots. It started getting into my head, thinking that I cant score, so its definitely a monkey off the back. The first one was lucky, off a skate and in, but you take them as they come." Desharnais got two assists, giving him three points in 20 games this season. Only last week, newly elected Montreal mayor Denis Coderre caused a stir when he suggested Desharnais be sent to the minors. He was scratched one game, but bounced back with better efforts of late. When he is on his game, the stocky centre is a clever passer and playmaker, although he only seems ever to click with Pacioretty. Part of the breakthrough came when coach Michel Therrien put tenacious right winger Brendan Gallagher on their unit. That threesome was Montreals best line in the second half of last season. And Pacioretty went hard to the front of the net for two of his goals. "Davy and I, our chemistry is at a level where he knows where Im going and he can throw blind passes, and thats what happened, said Pacioretty. "Gally gets everyone going. "Hes an energetic player. With him getting into the forecheck and disrupting the defence a little, all it takes is a split second. Hes a hound on the puck and he got us going." Michael Bournival, Daniel Briere and Alex Galchenyuk also scored for the Canadiens (11-9-2), who had tallied only 18 goals in their previous 11 games. Nino Niederreiter and Dany Heatley scored for the Wild (13-5-4), which ended a four-game winning streak and an eight-game undefeated run dating to a 5-1 loss to Chicago on Oct. 28. Minnesota looked nothing like the air-tight defensive club that was piling up wins in recent weeks. Once Paciorettys first goal went in, they put up little fight. Top defenceman Ryan Suter ended the night minus-3, whhile his partner Jonas Brodin was minus-4.dddddddddddd Coach Mike Yeo wants to see the team push back Wednesday night in Ottawa. "Its all a matter how you take this one in," said Yeo. "If we just sit here and say weve been on a nice run and this was bound to happen, then I dont think we should expect much difference from tonight. "If this stings like it should, it should he motivating for us to win that game." Wild starter Josh Harding, one of the NHLs three stars for his three wins last week, was pulled in the second period after allowing three goals on 19 shots in favour of third-stringer Darcy Kuemper, who looked shaky in allowing three goals on nine shots. Yeo said pulling Harding was partly to keep him fresh to play in Ottawa. Harding has given up three only twice this season, both times to Montreal. At 2:57 of the second period, Paciorettys slump ended when he had a Desharnais pass go in off his skate from in front of the net. The Canadiens, coming off a 1-0 loss at home to the New York Rangers on Saturday night, had not scored since a Lars Eller goal at 7:34 of the second period of a 3-2 shootout win last Friday in Columbus. Pacioretty converted a spin-around pass from Desharnais at 10:06 at even strength and then ended Hardings night when he tipped in P.K. Subbans point shot on a power play at 13:36. Bournival came from behind the net and beat Kuemper inside the near post at 16:16. Briere one-timed Brian Giontas cross-ice pass behind Kuemper on a counter attack 4:42 into the third. Niederreiter spoiled Carey Prices shutout less than a minute later when he went to the net to bang in his own rebound after a feed from behind the net from Kyle Brodziak. Galchenyuk converted an Andrei Markov feed on a power play at 7:35. Then Heatley, a shadow of his former self this season, jammed in a goal on a power play with 1.3 seconds left in the game for only his third goal in 22 games. In his heyday as a 50-goal and 100-point man with the Ottawa Senators, Heatley -- along with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson -- terrorized the Canadiens. In 43 career games against Montreal, he has 25 goals and 52 points. Notes: Six goals was a season high scored for Montreal and allowed by Minnesota. . . Pacioretty got his second career hat trick (last: Feb. 9, 2012). . . Winger Rene Bourque (lower body) sat out and Ryan White returned to the Montreal lineup. . . Douglas Murray and George Parros were scratched. . . Minnesota sat out defenceman Matt Dumba. . .The Wild started a four-game road trip that takes them to Ottawa and then onto Winnipeg on Saturday and St. Louis on Monday. ' ' '