Kevin Martin is closing in on a third consecutive Canadian Open curling title. All that stands in his way is Glenn Howard.

The Edmonton skip booked his place in the final of the Grand Slam of Curling event Saturday evening in Winnipeg with a 7-2 win in six ends over hometown boy Mike McEwen.

Martin, the reigning world champion, used a steal of five in the third end to dispose of McEwen and earn a spot in Sunday's championship (CBC, CBCSports.ca, 2 p.m. ET).

McEwen's final rock in the third was too heavy, allowing Martin, still undefeated at this tournament with seven wins, to come up with the big steal.

"It's a big win. I've had a lot of those over the years that go too darn far. It's just the way it goes sometimes. Mike has curled great all week," Martin told CBC Sports.

"It was a bad time to miss," McEwen said of the crucial shot in the third end.

Howard, from Coldwater, Ont., defeated Winnipeg's Jeff Stoughton 5-3 in five ends in Saturday evening's other semifinal.

Howard took advantage of Stoughton's heavy draw to the button in the opening end to steal three points.

The Canadian Open is the third leg of the Grand Slam series.

Martin, the all-time leader with 14 Slam victories and the top seed at this tournament, failed to reach the final in the first two legs of this year's series. Howard beat Kevin Koe to win the Masters in Waterloo, Ont., in November, and Wayne Middaugh beat Brad Gushue to take The National.

Martin and Howard have combined to win nine of the past 10 Grand Slam titles. During that span, Martin has captured five championships, while Howard has won four titles.

A victory by Howard in Sunday's final would enable him to join Martin and Middaugh as the only skips to win all four legs of the Grand Slam of Curling series.

"We'd love to have our name on every one of the trophies because this series means a lot to us," said Howard. "You're playing against the best teams in the world in the Grand Slams. If you win one, you're doing well. So to win one of each would be cool."

The fourth and final Grand Slam of the season is the Players' Championship in Grand Prairie, Alta., in April.