ATLANTA, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Goaltender Jani Hurme made 27 saves and picked up his third straight win Tuesday night as the Ottawa Senators skated to a 6-3 triumph over the Atlanta Thrashers.
Hurme, who started the season behind Patrick Lalime, got the nod for the third straight game despite Lalime's 4
0 record and 1.91 career goals-against average against the Thrashers.
Daniel Alfredsson had a goal and an assist to extend his points streak to three games. He set up Ottawa's first goal, then picked up his own rebound at the left side of the net and buried it three minutes into the second period to extend the Senators' lead to 3-1.
The Ottawa captain has four goals and four assists during the streak.
The Senators rode a three-goal second period, sparked by rookie Chris Neil's go-ahead tally at 1:34. Slumping Martin Havlat scored the evetual game-winner with 5:19 left in the period by banking a shot from behind the right side of the net off goalie Milan Hnilicka.
The Thrashers cut the deficit to 4-2 late in the period on rookie Ilya Kovalchuk's wrist shot from the left faceoff circle. It extended his goal-scoring streawk to a team-record four games.
Kovalchuk is tied with Florida's Kristian Huselius for the rookie lead with seven goals.
The Senators regained a three-goal lead early in the third. Bill Muckalt set up Mike Fisher with a pass from his knees behind the net just under three minutes into the period.
Rookie Dany Heatley scored midway through the period on a wrist shot from the slot to get Atlanta within two, but the Thrashers failed to generate much offense thereafter and Shawn McEachern scored into an empty net in the final minute.
Ottawa jumped to a 1-0 lead at 15:28 in the opening period when Magnus Arvedson poked a loose puck between Hnilicka's pads. But Atlanta tied it when Tony Hrkac picked up a poor clearing pass and beat Hurme on a breakaway with 92 seconds to go in the period.
Hnilicka made 34 saves but dropped to 3-5-0.
