Canada's Gushue falls to Sweden's Edin at world men's curling championship

LAS VEGAS — Canada skip Brad Gushue got the match he wanted at the world men's curling championship, if not the result.

Gushue suffered his first defeat in round-robin play Wednesday, a 7-5 loss to Sweden's Niklas Edin.

Gushue's record dropped to 6-1 but still led the table after the day's opening draw. Edin, the reigning Olympic and world champion, improved to 6-2.

After days of games with inconsistent starts and wild linescores due to unpredictable ice conditions, Wednesday's matchup between two of the world's top teams unfolded more like a chess match.

"It was our best 10 ends," Gushue said. "I think if we play that sort of game against most teams out here we're going to be successful, but Niklas is on a different level than most of the teams here."

Gushue said improved ice conditions and a more tactical game made his lone loss so far at the Orleans Arena less stressful than his six wins.

"We knew what the rocks were going to do and we were confident we could get it in the ballpark on each and every rock," Gushue said. "When you take that level of anxiety out that we had in the first six games, that makes it easier."

The first pair of the game didn't come until the seventh end. A Swedish come-around attempt was a tad heavy, allowing Gushue to score the deuce.

Edin answered with a pair of his own in the eighth end to move back into the lead.

Gushue had a chance for two in the ninth, but missed on his last shot, giving Edin the hammer with the score tied 5-5 entering the final end.

Edin capped the win with a takeout on his last shot of the game.

Gushue had the chance to score multiple points in the sixth end, but a miss left Sweden with shot rock and a steal of one.

"We both made some mistakes out there," Gushue said.