Lightning 5, Maple Leafs 2: Martin St. Louis recorded his seventh career hat trick to take over the league lead in points and Steven Stamkos added a goal and an assist as Tampa Bay defeated visiting Toronto.

Rookie defenseman Radko Gudas scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and St. Louis added two more to give him 58 points, two ahead of Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Stamkos. Ben Bishop made 26 saves as the Lightning snapped a six-game winless streak (0-4-2).

Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul scored and James Reimer made 21 saves for the Maple Leafs, who remained four points behind fourth-place Montreal and one ahead of the New York Islanders.

Kessel’s shot from the left faceoff circle hit Tampa Bay defenseman Eric Brewer’s stick and fluttered into the right corner of the net with 2:57 left in the first period for a 1-0 lead. Stamkos tied it for the Lightning 5:54 into the second, warding off a hook from defenseman Mark Fraser and lifting a backhand past Reimer.

St. Louis scored from the slot with 4:12 left in the second before Lupul tied it at 2-2 with 24 seconds remaining in the session after sneaking behind the Lightning defense. Gudas hammered a slap shot into the upper-right corner of the net 3:13 into the third from the top of the right faceoff circle.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Toronto has scored the first goal 30 times this season and Tampa Bay 18 - both in 46 games. … Stamkos has 29 goals, two behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead. … Kessel has seven goals and eight assists in the last nine games.