TAMPA, Fla. Devon Hall Jersey . -- The Dallas Stars are playing like a team desperate to reach the post-season for the first time in six years. The Tampa Bay Lightning, however, have lost back-to-back home games since clinching their second playoff berth in seven seasons. Jamie Benn had two goals and an assist Saturday night at Tampa Bay in a 5-2 victory that lifted Dallas past Phoenix into the second wild-card position in the Western Conference. "We have a lot of games in a few days and we need to get as many points as we can in this stretch," Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said. "This was very important." Tyler Seguin had his team-leading 35th goal and an assist, and Vernon Fiddler and Antoine Roussel also scored for the Stars. Kari Lehtonen stopped 27 shots. Steven Stamkos and Andrej Sustr scored for the Lightning, and Ben Bishop finished with 23 saves. Benn produced all of his points in the first period. He opened the scoring 40 seconds in, redirecting a shot by Alex Goligoski from along the right boards into the left side of the net. "The first shift of the game can mean a lot," Benn said. "You want to set the tempo right away and we got a quick goal." Benn struck again at the 5:37 mark, snapping a shot past Bishop from the right circle. Two minutes later, Lightning defenceman Radko Gudas was dealt a match penalty for an illegal check to Roussels head. Dallas failed to capitalize on the five-minute major, but Benn and his brother Jordie set up Seguin late in the period to make it 3-0. Tampa Bay responded with a pair of goals early in the second period. Stamkos scored two minutes in, and Sustr lifted a rebound past Lehtonen at 6:44 for his first NHL goal. Fiddler and Roussel beat Bishop with backhanders in the third to secure the victory. "We wanted to keep the pressure on them and came up in the third period strong," Roussel said. "We needed to get the killer goal and take the life out of them." Bishop said the Lightning cannot afford to work hard for only 20 minutes. "Weve got to show up to play, and weve got something to play for," he said. "Its not like we just made the playoffs and now we can relax. We still want to get home ice, and we dont want to be in the wild card." Tampa Bay is four points behind second-place Montreal in the Atlantic Division and five ahead of Eastern Conference wild-card leader Detroit. "Hopefully this is out of our system and we can come down from our high chair after making the playoffs and realize that there are other teams that are coming and can catch us," Stamkos said. NOTES: Sustr was recalled from the AHL on Friday. ... Tampa Bay D Mike Kostka missed his second game with a concussion that resulted in a three-game league suspension for Montreal D Douglas Murray. ... Dallas LW Erik Cole (upper body) returned after being sidelined seven games. Stars LW Ray Whitney (lower body) sat out for the first time since Jan. 2. ... During a pregame ceremony on the plaza, the Lightning unveiled a bronze statue depicting former captain Dave Andreychuk raising the 2004 Stanley Cup. Fred Brown Jersey . “Momentum is only as good as the next days starter,” the long-time Baltimore Orioles manager famously quipped. Alton Lister Jersey . Make the extra pass, take care of the ball, play defence and get more out of his bench. https://www.cheapthunder.com/ . -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres.FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Its Geno Smiths turn to try to prove he should be the New York Jets quarterback this season. In a move that was expected for several days, Rex Ryan announced Thursday that the second-round draft pick will start over Mark Sanchez in the Jets preseason game against the Giants on Saturday night. "Well see how far we take him into this game this week," Ryan said. "Mark will play also. I think (Smith) has looked good and seems like the ankle is obviously a lot better than it was this past week. "Im excited to see him play." The rookie has worked with the first-team offence all week during practice. Smith, in a tightly contested competition with Sanchez, did not play in the Jets last preseason game last Saturday night against Jacksonville because of a sprained ankle. Most NFL teams normally play their starters into the third quarter of the third preseason game, but the Jets wanted to see how Smiths ankle responded this week before deciding on a starter against the Giants. Because Sanchez played three quarters against the Jaguars, the Jets want a better look at Smith in game action. "We want to see him play," offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. "Hopefully, hell get the chance to turn it loose and let his natural abilities show up, and his natural style. I think, and I almost know, that hes worked so hard that hes there mentally." Smith has played just two quarters in the preseason after getting hurt while rolling out on a play in the third quarter at Detroit nearly two weeks ago. He was cleared for practice early last week, but struggled on the sore ankle -- capped by what Ryan called a "brutal" performance last Wednesday in which Smith was intercepted four times. He bounced back this week with an outstanding week of practice as his ankle also healed. "Im proud of Geno last week pushing through it," Mornhinweg said. "This week, it was still biting him just a little bit, but he was significantly better." Quarterbacks coach David Lee has seen vast improvement in Smiths footwork along with his command in the huddle since training camp began. "His leadership is starting to show," Lee said. "Its hard when a guy doesnt know everything to be a great leader. But once he knows it, we should see more and more leadership from him." Ryan said the team is still not prepared to select a starter for the regular-season opener against Tampa Bay. While Jacksonville and Philadelphia made decisions on their starting quarterbacks earlier this week, Ryan refuses to put a deadline on the Jets selecting one. "We did say all along that it was going to be an equal competition," Ryan said. "And, I think, obviously, the fact that Geno wasnt able to play last week, you never really saw him when there were live buullets, so to speak. Fake Thunder Jerseys. So, it wouldnt be an equal competition had we not played it out this way." Lee added that a strong performance by Smith perhaps still might not be enough for the Jets to select a starter for the season. That means the quarterback competition could potentially go into the final preseason game against Philadelphia next Thursday. "Its been too close to call," Lee said. "I want it clear. I want it cleaner before we make that decision." Lee also acknowledged that he has often gone back and forth on who he thinks the starter should ultimately be. "They come off the field and youre frowning at one and (saying), Atta boy to the other," Lee said. "Im being honest, its kind of been an emotional up-and-down deal: Whos the best one today? Maybe thats our guy. We can do this with him and the other one, we can do this with him. We can do more with this guy in the passing game. "So thats an honest answer." Mornhinweg insisted he hadnt put as much thought into the daily fluctuations of the quarterbacks, preferring to let everything play out. "Mark has had a terrific camp," Mornhinweg said. "Hes had a bunch of ups, and hes had some dips there. Genos had an outstanding camp for a rookie and hes just had a little bit more than a couple of plays in a preseason game. So, well see what happens in this next ballgame. Well see what the outcome is." Ryan also refused to put any parameters on what Smith might need to show against the Giants to be convinced that hes the guy who should start the season under centre. "I think obviously its an evaluation process still that were going through," he said. "I dont want to say, Look, hes got to look like Phil Simms in the Super Bowl." That performance by Simms, of course, was one for the record books when he completed 22 of 25 passes to help the Giants beat the Denver Broncos in 1987. Mornhinweg said the decision will be made when one of the quarterbacks elevates himself above the other, and if that doesnt happen, the team would then go on instincts. "I think I know exactly where Marks at," Mornhinweg said. "Theres no question that I think we can do some very good things with Mark. I dont quite know where Genos at yet, even though we might think we know. But those preseason games are such a good evaluation period for a young man." ---- NOTES: Lee revealed that Sanchez recently had minor surgery to repair an infected toe nail on his right foot. "He doesnt blink, he doesnt tell me, I just happened to hear from somebody else," Lee said. "Hes out there, practices." ... Ryan announced that Vladimir Ducasse will start at LG against the Giants instead of Stephen Peterman, who is getting work at centre to back up Nick Mangold. ' ' '