RALEIGH — During the second period Sunday, strains of The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" bounced around the RBC Center.

Probably not the best musical selection when the home team is being pounded, again, and 14,815 paying customers are in a foul mood.

So it went as the Carolina Hurricanes followed up one bad home-ice loss with another. This time, it was the Dallas Stars who did the pounding, outskating and outplaying the Canes on their way to an easy 5-2 win.

"I think we got outworked, definitely," defenseman Bryan Allen said. "When you're playing in your own building, in front of your own crowd, people pay money to come watch us and we've got to be better."

After a 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday, the Hurricanes were intent on coming out Sunday with fire in their eyes and jump in their game. Instead, their early play resembled a slow waltz. They trailed 3-1 after the first period and never made a game of it, falling to 5-6-3 on the season.

"We've played 13 games prior to this and haven't have a dog start in any of them, where we didn't come out and compete," Canes coach Paul Maurice said. "It wasn't something that was a growing concern with our team, but we were not physically involved in that game.

"We were just soft. That's a physical, man's game and we can't just play on skill. That's just not going to get it done for us. Just soft on pucks all over the ice. Lost every battle on the pucks that got dumped in. We just lost every battle and they came down the ice and beat us."

The Stars' line of Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson and Michael Ryder did much of the beating. Benn had two goals, Ryder a goal and two assists, and Eriksson three assists for Dallas (10-3-0), which has won three straight.

Resurgent Kari Lehtonen gave the Stars another nice game in net, making 30 stops. Both of the Canes' goals - by Chad LaRose and Tuomo Ruutu - came on power plays.

Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward, meanwhile, was lifted early in the second period after Ryder's goal pushed the Stars ahead 4-1.

"We can't let our goalies bail us out every single game," Canes defenseman Tim Gleason said. "We've got to come play for them once in a while."

Brian Boucher came in to stop 12 of 13 shots, but the one Dallas goal had the home fans groaning again - a shorthanded score by Benn off a two-and-one with Eriksson.

LaRose's goal, his third in three games, gave the Canes some life in the first period. Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner each earned assists with deflections of Tomas Kaberle's shot - for Staal, his first point in five games.

But the Stars answered. Benn scored off a centering pass from Eriksson with 27.8 seconds left in the period for a 3-1 lead.

Ruutu's power-play goal, on a quick wrister from the slot, came in the third period after the Stars led 5-1. Defenseman Derek Joslin had the primary assist, his first point of the season.

"We didn't give in during the third period like we did (against Washington)," Gleason said.

Joslin, a healthy scratch the first 13 games, replaced Jamie McBain in the lineup Sunday. The Canes again played without injured forward Jussi Jokinen, who may return in one of the upcoming road games against the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers.

Maurice was asked if getting out of town might help his team refocus and play better.

"We've given up 10 goals at home in our last two games. That's just not enough fight," Maurice said. "It doesn't matter who we play next, the fight's going to have to be there or we're not going to beat anybody right now, playing like that."

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