What is Happening to the Canadian Team?

The Canadian rink (i.e. team) in this year's world championship has struggled. Even the Canadian Curling Association has noted it:

Team Canada’s Randy Ferbey isn’t getting an easy ride on home ice.
The six-time Brier champ suffered a third defeat Tuesday night in Draw 11 play at the Ford World Men’s Curling Championship in Victoria.

Naturally, the question has arisen, "Why are the Canadians struggling?" After all, they're playing on Canadian ice in front of Canadian fans.

Joan McCusker, one of the CBC analysts, said during yesterday's broadcast

They are burned out. They have been curling a lot this winter, and it has taken a lot out of them.

I can't think of any other explanation (but watch me try!). But maybe Nedohin's back is hurting him more than he lets on. And maybe Ferby's knee is bothering him more than he lets on, too.

Or maybe curling in British Columbia, their home province, puts added pressure on the curlers either psychologically or in terms of demands on their time?

Or, just maybe, it's all random. The Canadian team did look very good (Nedohin in particular was greatly improved) in last night's victory over Switzerland.

“That was the best game we’ve had here by a country mile,” said Ferbey. “We made shot after shot and gave them basically nothing.”

Perhaps the analysts (including me) are trying to find reasons where none exist. Oftentimes, analysts offer up explanations for something when the only reasonable explanation is "variance and random error."