2018 Winter Olympics: Friday Event Schedule, Odds and Predictions
Friday's Olympic schedule is all about the pageantry of the opening ceremony, which will take place early in the morning in the Eastern time zone.
As Americans gear up to watch the replay of the opening ceremony in primetime, a few competitions will take place, including the first snowboarding event of the Olympics.
While Friday doesn't have the normal packed schedule because of the opening ceremony, there's still a set of curling matches and a chance for American snowboarders to defend a medal that a compatriot won four years ago.
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Friday Olympic Schedule
All events can be live-streamed on NBCOlympics.com.
Opening ceremony (6 a.m. ET; TV coverage in prime time at 8 p.m. ET on NBC)
Curling mixed doubles round robin (7:05 p.m. ET)
Men's snowboard slopestyle qualifying (8 p.m. ET)
Odds
Curling Mixed Doubles (via OddsShark)
Canada (+110, bet $100 to win $110)
Switzerland (+350)
China (+350)
United States (+800)
Norway (+1,000)
South Korea (+2,000)
Finland (+2,500)
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle (via Oddschecker)
Marcus Kleveland (9-2)
Any Other (7-1)
Redmond Gerard (7-1)
Mark McMorris (15-2)
Max Parrot (15-2)
Predictions
Curling Mixed Doubles
Switzerland 6, Canada 5
Norway 8, Finland 4
Olympic Athletes of Russia 7, South Korea 4
China 6, United States 5
The marquee matchup of Friday's mixed doubles curling action pits undefeated Switzerland against Canada.
The Swiss are one of four 3-1 teams in the young tournament Thursday after dropping their first match on Thursday to Norway.
After suffering a shock defeat to Norway to open pool play, Canada has bounced back to win three in a row to set up a top-of-the-table clash with Switzerland.
Friday will be a big day for the teams in the middle of the standings. Norway, Olympic Athletes of Russia, South Korea, China and the United States are all looking to create separation between themselves, while Finland is still in search of its first victory.
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Qualifying
1. Marcus Kleveland (Norway)
2. Mark McMorris (Canada)
3. Max Parrot (Canada)
Norwegian phenom Marcus Kleveland has a chance to make a statement early in Friday's men's slopestyle qualifying, as he's set to compete in Heat 1 of qualifying.
Canadian medal contenders Mark McMorris and Max Parrot have to wait until Heat 2 to take on the course, per CBC play-by-play broadcaster Rob Snoek.
Friday's qualifying heats will set the field for Saturday's final, with Kleveland, the two Canadians and 17-year-old American Redmond Gerard all expected to be in the mix for the medals.
Gerard is trying to become the second American to win slopestyle after Sage Kotsenburg captured gold in 2014 in the event's first appearance at the Olympics.
Don't be surprised if you see an unlikely name jump into the top three scores on Friday since some riders will be doing enough to advance while they save their most technical moves for Saturday's final.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
All information obtained from NBCOlympics.com unless otherwise noted.
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