TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Vincent Lecavalier scored with 41.6 seconds left in the third period and rookie Karri Ramo made 31 saves to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Toronto Maple Leafs, 2-1 on Thursday night.

Lecavalier’s goal came from the lower right circle off a pass from Martin St. Louis. Jason Ward also scored for the Lightning, who snapped a three-game losing skid.

Matthew Stajan scored for Toronto, which has lost three straight.

Ramo made his first career start one day after he was recalled from Norfolk of the AHL. Lightning starter Johan Holmqvist, pulled from three of his last four starts, is 13-12-3 this season with a 3.02 goals-against-average and .888 save-percentage. Backup Marc Denis has dropped five of six decisions, and has a 4.05 GAA.

The Maple Leafs took a 1-0 lead at 16:36 of the second when Stajan’s shot from along the left-wing boards deflected off Tampa Bay defenseman Doug Janik in the low slot.

Ramo turned aside a good scoring chance by Mark Bell, and on the ensuing rush, Ward tied it off a pass from Lecavalier with 1:19 left in the second.

Maple Leafs goalie Vesa Toskala made a sliding stop on Lecavalier during a 2-on-1 in the opening minute of the second. Toskala, who stopped 19 shots, also made a post-to-post save on Ward’s in-close shot midway through the first.

Ramo was not severely tested during the first half of the game, but did stopped Mats Sundin’s shot from the right circle on a late first-period Toronto power play. He made several strong saves, including an in-close try by Boyd Devereaux.

Notes: Ramo had two relief appearances for the Lightning last season. … Tampa Bay D Brad Lukowich (shoulder) did not play. … Devereaux had his three-game goal-scoring streak end. … Peter Puck, the popular intermission animated character on U.S. national hockey broadcasts in the 1970’s, returned to TV as part of the Maple Leafs’ broadcast. The team said it was the first time Peter Puck has been used on the air in 28 years.

AP-ES-12-20-07 2211EST