World Curling Championships 2013: Latest Standings, Predictions and More

Curling usually doesn't take center stage until the Olympics. Yet, the journey to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi is already underway. The 2013 World Championships are a major stop on that quest. The tournament's playoff stage begins Friday night.

Scotland enters the final round as the top seed as the only country to win eight matches during round-robin play. Sweden, Denmark and Canada were the other three countries that advanced, each team winning seven games in the group stage.

The United States failed to advance after finishing 5-6. The team, led by skip Brady Clark, was only able to steal five ends––the lowest total by any team during group play––which was the main reason for its disappointing early exit.

Let's take a look at the final standings from the group stage, followed by a breakdown of the playoff format and predictions through the championship match.

Final Round Robin Standings

Rank	Country	Record
1	Scotland	8-3
2	Sweden	7-4
3	Denmark	7-4
4	Canada	7-4
5	Norway	6-5
6	China	6-5
7	Switzerland	6-5
8	Czech Republic	6-5
9	United States	5-6
10	Russia	3-8
11	Japan	3-8
12	Finland	2-9

Page Playoff System Format and Matchups

Although four countries advanced from the round-robin stage, it's not a typical single-elimination format moving forward. Curling uses the Page Playoff System, which is a combination of single and double elimination.

The top two seeds, Scotland and Sweden, face off and the winner receives an automatic berth into the gold-medal match. Then the bottom two playoff seeds battle for a spot in what amounts to a semifinal match against the loser of the other match.

Finally, the winner of the third game of the round advances to the championship match.

Matchups

Match No. 1: Scotland vs. Sweden (Friday, April 5 at 10 p.m. ET)

Match No. 2: Denmark vs. Canada (Saturday, April 6 at 2 p.m. ET)

Match No. 3: Loser of Match No. 1 vs. Winner of Match No. 2 (Saturday, April 6 at 7 p.m. ET)

Gold-Medal Match: Winner of Match No. 1 vs. Winner of Match No. 3 (Sunday, April 7 at 7 p.m. ET)

Predictions

(1) Scotland vs. (2) Sweden

These teams already played one intense match. Sweden tied it with two points in the ninth end, but Scotland was able to capitalize with a point to win it in the final end. It should be another close encounter for a spot in the final.

Scotland's David Murdoch has led one of only two teams to accumulate a double-digit point differential. It's going to come down to a couple key shots during the final few ends, and Scottish group has been the side to step up in those moments so far.

Prediction: Scotland

(3) Denmark vs. (4) Canada

Canada is a perfect example of the extremely small margin for error in curling. Based purely on its statistics from the round robin, Canada could easily be the top seed and one win away from the final. It tied for first in shot percentage and ranked second in point differential.

Instead, the Canadians will have to win three straight matches to win the title. Don't count them out, however. Brad Jacobs, who's had an up-and-down tourney, and Co. just must be patient against a Denmark side that's allowed the fewest points in the event.

Prediction: Canada

(2) Sweden vs. (4) Canada

These teams faced off in the final draw of the opening stage. Although Sweden won 11-7, the match was tied a 7-7 with two ends to go before the Swedes scored two points in each. So Canada let the match, and a better seed, slip away.

This is Canada's chance for revenge. It all comes down to Jacobs showcasing the form he did earlier in the event. The Canadians were 5-0 in the early going, before dropping four of their final six. Expect a strong bounce-back performance in the playoff.

Prediction: Canada

Gold-Medal Match: (1) Scotland vs. (4) Canada

All things considered, these are the top two teams in the tournament. Early on, when Jacobs and the rest of Team Canada were absolutely rolling, they scored a 9-4 victory over Scotland. Murdoch's bunch should be able to keep it closer in the rematch.

The added factor here, should Canada win the first two matches of the final round as predicted, would be momentum. It showed what it's capable of during that 5-0 start and would have to be in similar form to reach the title match. So, if Canada reaches the final, it should win it.

Prediction: Canada