Brad Gushue clips Mike McEwen to secure playoff spot at curling Masters

Brad Gushue of St. John's, N.L., scored a point in the eighth end to take a 5-4 win over Winnipeg's Mike McEwen on Thursday in the 10th draw of the Masters Grand Slam.

Gushue improved to 3-0 to stay atop Pool B at the Grand Slam of Curling event after earning singles in the first, third, fourth, fifth, and eighth ends.

• WATCH LIVE: Grand Slam of Curling Masters: Saturday, 1 pm ET
• Brad Gushue continues strong play

McEwen dropped to 1-2, despite getting a double in the sixth followed by a single in the seventh to tie it 4-4.

Scheidegger secures playoff spot

Deep inside, Casey Scheidegger might be experiencing a little of the "pure excitement and joy" she felt after winning the Meridian Canadian Open over Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni last January.

That victory marked the first Grand Slam of Curling title for the resident of Lethbridge, Alta., who began her breakout 2016-17 season with three World Curling Tour championships before the end of October.

On Thursday, Scheidegger and her Lethbridge Curling Club rink of Cary-Anne McTaggert (third), Jessie Scheidegger (second) and Kristie Moore (lead) stole five in the second end of the morning draw at the Masters en route to a 7-2 win in six ends over Winnipeg's Michelle Englot, last year's Scotties Tournament of Hearts silver medallist.

A 8-4 loss later to Kerri Einarson's Winnipeg rink drop Scheidegger's record to 3-1, but the 29-year-old still assured her rink a playoff berth.

"With the steal, we just forced Michelle to make a really hard shot on the other side of the sheet that was kind of not used in the first couple ends," Jessie Scheidegger told reporters in Lloydminster, Sask. "We were able to force her to a hard shot and it worked out for us."

In 2009, Casey and sister Jessie won the Alberta junior title and were semifinalists at junior nationals, losing to eventual champion Manitoba, skipped by Kaitlyn Lawes.

In other Draw 7 play Thursday morning, Anna Hasselborg of Sweden scored four in the first end against Allison Flaxey of Caledon, Ont., prevailing 8-4 to improve to 2-0 in Pool A. Alina Paetz of Switzerland cruised to a 9-3 victory over Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., while Jamie Sinclair of Blaine, Wash., defeated Scotland's Eve Muirhead 6-4.

"We are keeping the momentum that we've been having this season," world No. 1 Hasselborg said. "We just want to improve and continue to be in the big games and you have to go through the pool to be there, so it feels good."

Draw 8 scores

• Reid Carruthers (Winnipeg) def. Pat Simmons (Winnipeg) 7-6
• Brad Jacobs (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) def. Peter De Cruz (Switzerland) 7-2
• Jason Gunnlaugson (Winnipeg) def. John Morris (Vernon, B.C.) 7-4
• John Shuster (Duluth, Minn.) def. Thomas Ulsrud 6-4

Draw 9 scores

• Kevin Koe (Calgary) def. John Epping (Toronto) 7-3
• Kerri Einarson (Winnipeg) def. Casey Scheidegger 8-4
• Eve Muirhead def. Anna Hasselborg 10-7
• Rachel Homan (Ottawa) def. Val Sweeting (Edmonton) 6-3
• Anna Sidorova def. Allison Flaxey (Caledon, Ont.) 8-5

Draw 10 scores

• Alina Paetz def. Silvana Tirinzoni 7-5
• Brad Gushue (St. John's) def. Mike McEwen (Winnipeg) 5-4
• Kyle Smith def. John Shuster 6-2
• Niklas Edin def. Jason Gunnlaugson (Winnipeg) 8-4 
• Reid Carruthers (Winnipeg) def. Steve Laycock 9-3 

The Grand Slam event continues through Sunday. CBC Sports will stream the women's quarter-finals on Saturday and the men's final on Sunday.