Stars 5, Capitals 0: Dustin Jeffrey scored his first two goals of the season and Kari Lehtonen turned aside 35 shots for his 26th career shutout to lift visiting Dallas.

Ray Whitney scored a goal and set up another while Tyler Seguin and Ryan Garbutt also tallied as the Stars won their third in a row to move ahead of Phoenix for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Alex Chiasson collected three assists to back up Lehtonen, who recorded his fourth shutout of the season.

Jaroslav Halak was yanked after allowing three goals on 23 shots for the Capitals, who dropped their fourth in a row (0-2-2) to fall two points behind Columbus for the final wild card in the East. Braden Holtby turned aside 11 shots in relief.

The Stars seized control midway through the second session, when Whitney and Jeffrey scored 34 seconds apart. Whitney finished off a 2-on-0 rush, taking a pass from Chiasson and sliding the puck around Halak at 9:16 before Jeffrey netted his first of the season off a scramble in front.

Dallas struck first with 4:52 left in the opening period, when Benn fired a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle that a cutting Seguin tipped past Halak for his 19th point in his last 13 games. The Stars put it away in the third as Jeffrey and Garbutt scored 4:55 apart to help beat Washington for the fifth straight time.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Halak absorbed his fourth straight defeat, with the previous three coming in shootouts. ... Jeffrey, who was claimed by Dallas after the Penguins put him on waivers in early November, notched his third and fourth points of the season and second and third in 17 games with the Stars. ... Capitals RW Dustin Penner missed the game due to illness.