Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018: Previewing What to Watch for on Day 7

Day 7 of the Winter Olympics is marked by redemption stories for Team USA.

For all the talk around Adam Rippon, Nathan Chen represents America's best chance for a medal in men's figure skating. That's why his stumble during the team competition a few days ago set off more than a few alarm bells. Now, heading into one of the Games' signature events, the pressure on Chen is redoubled.

Over on the slopes, snowboard cross is always one of the most exciting events in the Winter Olympics. Lindsey Jacobellis has yet to recover from that fateful fall in 2006. Despite her abiding greatness, the 32-year-old is not an Olympic gold medalist, and this may be her final bite at the proverbial apple.

The storylines are captivating, and these are all the narratives you need to know for Day 7 of the Pyeongchang Games. 

To watch live Olympics coverage in real time, go to NBC's Olympics site. South Korea is 14 hours ahead of Eastern time U.S.

It's Go Time for Lindsey Jacobellis

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Winter, summer, spring or fall, Team USA doesn't house an athlete more star-crossed than Lindsey Jacobellis.

Her 2006 collapse is the stuff of infamy. But it didn't happen in a vacuum. It happened again in 2010. And then again in 2014.

No one wants to see a competitor as talented as Jacobellis—five world championships and no fewer than 10 Winter X Games golds to her name—come up short this often on the grandest stage. 

It stands to reason that Jacobellis will be hard-pressed to compete in the 2022 Games as a 36-year-old. This is her last realistic shot. Everything else indicates that she is the all-time queen of snowboard cross. Now is the opportunity for her to take the true crown, if she's ever going to do it. 

The coverage period begins at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Nathan Chen, Adam Rippon Seek Figure Skating Glory

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Nathan Chen

For all his athletic brilliance, it's easy to forget that Nathan Chen is still just 18 years old. But if he wants to meet expectations, he'll need to grow up fast. In this case, "fast" means "now."

Chen is a bona fide phenom on the ice, a triple- and quadruple-rotation marvel. But it didn't translate in his Olympic debut. When he unceremoniously hit the deck during team competition, it threw his front-runner status into question. The Americans still won bronze in the team event, but Chen's stumble sparked understandable questions about what could have been.

The good news for the high-flying Utah native: He doesn't have to wait long to change the narrative. The short program is the first step.

Meanwhile, Chen's teammate Adam Rippon will try to skate his way into contention. Plenty of eyeballs will be trained on that effort for reasons Rippon himself is probably best positioned to explain.

Japanese titans Yuzuru Hanyu (the defending Olympic champion) and Shoma Uno are lying in wait for any challenger. The stateside coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

U.S. Men's Hockey Team Looks to Rebound

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When the puck drops at 10 p.m. ET, it will be the continuation of a very different kind of Olympic hockey tournament.

As most fans know, the NHL stars they've grown accustomed to seeing are not competing in the Pyeongchang Games. Team USA, and a bunch of other teams besides, have to put that decision aside and move forward. What other choice is there? There is a big job at hand, and there is still a compelling and interesting round-robin affair to be negotiated, even if it lacks the star power of its predecessors.

Two-time defending Olympic champion Canada is looking to pull the three-peat, although OddsShark favors the Olympic Athletes from Russia—who are named as such due to the doping scandal that has prevented them from competing under the Russian flag—to bring home the gold. However, the OAR suffered a major upset loss to Slovakia in the first round. 

Team USA also dropped its first game, losing to Slovenia. That's not what you're looking for if you're a Team USA fan. The Americans are playing an uptempo style that's fun to watch (36 shots on goal through three periods against the Slovenians), so hopefully they can convert that into success against Slovakia.

Lowell Bailey Seeks Biathlon Breakthrough

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Lowell Bailey

Lowell Bailey is the first American to win a world title in the biathlon. He may soon also become the first Team USA biathlete to capture an Olympic medal.

Bailey competes in the 20-kilometer biathlon, which begins at noon ET on NBCSN. It's a grueling event, requiring equal parts athleticism, endurance and fine-motor focus. 

If Bailey's gutsy 2017 world championship performance is any indication, he stands a great chance to make a bit of history.

Jumping in Head First

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Matt Antoine

If the skeleton isn't the world's most dangerous sport, it is certainly on the short list. 

The key difference between the skeleton and the luge is that skeleton competitors are facedown, while lugers ride the course on their backs. American Matt Antoine nabbed a bronze medal in this event back in 2014, but he and teammate John "Not the Golfer or The Cocktail" Daly face long odds if they want to reach the podium in Pyeongchang. Homegrown talent Yun Sung-bin is a favorite to nab the gold for South Korea.

Regardless, if you like a bit of vicarious adrenaline, the skeleton should be your jam. Coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.