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Kovalev, Canadiens eyeing third straight win

Dec 21, 2008 - 8:17 AM Carolina (15-13-5) at Montreal (18-9-5), 7:00 pm EST

MONTREAL (Ticker) -- Alexei Kovalev is heating up.

Kovalev, who is riding a three-game goal-scoring streak, will lead the Montreal Canadiens against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

Before this surge, Kovalev had not scored in 20 games. He still leads the team with 26 points.

"Since the start of the year, (Kovalev's) the guy who has created the most scoring chances, but he seemed to be hitting a crossbar, or hitting a defenseman or something like that," Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau said. "We knew that once he got a goal he'd start to feel a little more relaxed, and that's what happened."

The 35-year-old Kovalev netted his third goal in as many games Saturday, notching the game-winner with 25 seconds remaining in overtime as the Canadiens rallied for a 4-3 triumph over the Buffalo Sabres.

Sergei Kostitsyn netted a pair of goals - including the game-tying tally with 4:56 remaining in the third period for Montreal, which will be looking for its third consecutive victory.

The Hurricanes failed to win their third straight game Saturday, suffering a 4-2 setback to the Boston Bruins.

Captain Rod Brind'Amour had two assists for Carolina, which is 4-6-3 over its last 13 contests.