Captain Koivu wins the opener.

It's on! The season has officially started for the Montreal Canadiens. Yesterday to open the season, the Habs were in Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes. The Habs started on the right foot by defeating the Hurricanes 3-2 in overtime.

Saku Koivu took the bull by the horns and scored 2 goals during the match including the game-winner during the overtime. So the team captain puts an exclamation point on a game kept alive by goaltender Christobal Huet especially during the first period. Huet made some great saves during the two 5-on-3 man advantages given to the Canes early in the game.

The first goal of the season for Montreal was also scored during the first period as Mark Streit served a perfect shot from the blue line hitting the top left corner of Cam Ward's net. At this time, the score went back to an even 1-1. Koivu gave the lead to Montreal with just under 10 minutes to play but Brett Hedican quickly tied the score at 2-2 with 8 minutes to go in the 3rd period, sending everybody in overtime.

Montreal will travel to Toronto and face the Maple Leafs saturday night.

(Picture: Koivu, Higgins, Ryder, Getty images)