CANUCKS 5, STARS 2: Maxim Lapierre scored a goal and set up two others as Vancouver climbed within one point of first place in the Western Conference with its fifth straight win.

Chris Higgins, Alex Burrows and defensemen Sami Salo and Andrew Alberts also tallied, captain Henrik Sedin collected three assists and Cory Schneider made 28 saves for the Canucks, who improved to 3-0-0 on their five-game homestand.

Vancouver is one point behind St. Louis for the top spot in the West and two back of the New York Rangers in the race for the Presidents' Trophy.

Higgins opened the scoring less than 6 1/2 minutes into the first period with his fourth goal in as many games, beating Kari Lehtonen between the pads from the slot.

After Steve Ott evened the contest at 3:16 of the second, Salo scored on a blast from the right point during a power play midway through the session for a 2-1 lead.

Lapierre helped set up goals by Alberts late in the second and Burrows just over nine minutes into the third before beating Richard Bachman from the slot to complete his second career three-point performance.

Jake Dowell scored late for the Stars, who have lost six of seven at Vancouver. Dallas fell into seventh place in the West, one point behind first-place Los Angeles in the Pacific Division.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Lapierre's first career three-point effort came on Dec. 29, 2009, when he recorded a hat trick while with Montreal. ... Lehtonen allowed four goals on 29 shots before being replaced midway through the third period. ... Dallas fell to 1-2-0 on its four-game road trip. ... The Canucks improved to 8-1-1 in their last 10 meetings with the Stars.