SOCHI — World champion Sweden proved to be in top form at the Olympic men's curling tournament Tuesday, grabbing a third consecutive victory in the preliminaries.
The Swedes, led by skip Niklas Edin, edged out defending Olympic champion Canada in the last end, taking a 7-6 win.
It marks a bumpy start for the Canadians in their quest for a third straight gold, losing two of three games so far, but they have six more in the round robin stage to turn it around.
"It was a well-played game by both teams, and I'm sure it was great entertainment for the fans here and back home," Canada's skipper Brad Jacobs said. "We are playing well and getting better every game. It is a marathon and one game a day. We know it's a marathon, and we're ready."
Elsewhere, Britain iced Germany 7-6 in the 10th end, without having a last-stone advantage.
Russia was denied a maiden win at the Ice Cube arena, suffering a 9-8 defeat to Vancouver runner-up Norway.
The host nation is not expected to challenge for medals.
In the other game, China pounded the United States 9-4 for a second win.
The Olympic curling tournament features a round robin where everyone plays everyone else, and the top four teams in the final standings progress to the playoffs.
The gold medal game is Feb. 21.
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