NEWARK, N.J. – It didn't take the Dallas Stars long to fritter away any momentum gained on their three-game East Coast swing.

Coming off their best game of the season Monday in a win against the Rangers, the Stars played maybe their worst game Wednesday in a 5-0 loss to the Devils at Prudential Center.

And the worst game in this Stars season is saying something.

"We're just not playing good hockey," Stars coach Dave Tippett said after his team fell to 2-4-1. "We're not getting the job done. ... We expect a much higher level of play than what we're getting."

While the Devils moved to 5-1-0 and Martin Brodeur drew closer to Terry Sawchuk's 103 career shutouts with his 98th whitewashing, the Devils shouldn't be confused with an offensive powerhouse. New Jersey scored nine total goals in its previous five games.

"We have to play better team defense; that's who we are," captain Brenden Morrow said. "We come off a 2-1 win where we play pretty well as a team, and then we have this. It's frustrating."

AP

New Jersey's Zach Parise (right) maneuvers around Dallas Stars goalie Tobias Stephan for the puck Wednesday.

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"They weren't great shots, and it [stinks] when they go through you," Turco said. "I have to be able to clean those up."

Still, Turco wasn't the only problem. Backup Tobias Stephan came in and allowed two goals on nine shots in the third period. Even the normally conservative Devils were flying up ice and creating all sorts of scoring chances against a Stars team that is missing both cohesion and emotion.

The flat play was particularly disconcerting because the Devils and their fans were geared up for the return of hated rival Sean Avery.

"They worked for their breaks, and we just aren't working hard enough to make the bounces go our way," Morrow said. "We all need to sacrifice, win battles and take the hesitation out of our game."