Canada’s Gushue recovers from loss to Sweden with convincing victory over Finland in the curling world
Canada jumps Brad Gushue got the match he wanted at the World Curling Championships for men, if not the result.
Gushue suffered its first defeat in a round-robin game on Wednesday, a 7-5 loss to Sweden’s Niklas Edin in Las Vegas.
Gushue’s record improved to 7-1 later in the day with an 8-3 victory over Finn Kalle Kiiskinen. Edin, the reigning Olympic and world champion, lost a 7-5 decision to South Korea’s Soo-Hyuk Kim.
Canada led the 13-man squad ahead of Scotland’s Kyle Waddell (6-2), Sweden (6-3), American Korey Dropkin, Swiss Yannick Schwaller and South Korea (all 5-3).
SE | Gushue best Finland Kiiskinen:
After days of games with inconsistent starts and wild streaks due to unpredictable ice conditions, the settlement between Canada and Sweden between two of the world’s best teams developed more like a chess match.
“It was our top 10 finish,” Gushue said. “I think if we play that kind of match against most teams out here, we will be successful, but Niklas is on a different level than most teams here.”
Gushue said improved ice conditions and a more tactical game made his lone loss so far at Orleans Arena less stressful than his early victories.
Gushue had the chance to score several points in the sixth finish, but a miss left Sweden with a steal of one.
The first pair of the match did not come until the seventh end. A Swedish come-around attempt was a bit heavy, which meant that Gushue could make the second.
Edin responded with his own pair at the eighth end to return to the lead.
Gushue had a chance at two in the ninth but missed his last shot, giving Edin the hammer with the score 5-5 and going into the final end. Edin ended the win with a takeout on his last shot of the match.
“We both made some mistakes out there,” Gushue said. “Unfortunately, we probably did one more than they did.”
SE | Edin edges Gushue on worlds:
Canada’s recovery effort
Finland (3-6) made a team change on Wednesday due to a positive covid-19 test. Substitute Jermu Pollanen added second for Leo Ouni.
Canada made a second in the third end and picked up another pair in the sixth when Kiiskinen’s last stone rolled over on a triple selection attempt. The team shook hands after a Canadian theft of two in the ninth end.
The team played like a threesome last weekend after Deputy Mark Nichols tested positive for COVID-19. Gushue had no alternate at the event. EJ Harnden serves as team fifth in the worlds.
Gushue, Nichols, second Brett Gallant and leading Geoff Walker took Olympic bronze in February last year. Their lone world title together came in 2017.
Edin, a five-time world champion, beat Gushue in the semifinals in Beijing on his way to the gold medal. The Swedish jumper is a three-time defending world champion.