Olympic Figure Skating Schedule 2018: Pairs Free Skate TV, Live-Stream Info

Drama is expected during the conclusion of the pairs figure skating competition.

China's Sui Wenjing and Han Cong hold a lead of less than a point over Russian pair Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov after the short program.

NBC Olympics provided us with a look at the standings on Twitter:

Although there's a five-point difference between the two leading pairs and third place, there is room for movement, especially with a few duos worthy of winning gold lurking in third and fourth.

Sixteen pairs will compete in the free skate, with the leaders featuring in the penultimate performance and Tarasova and Morosov going last.

Date: Wednesday, February 14 (Event takes place on Thursday, February 15 in Pyeongchang)

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET 

TV: NBC

Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com

Chinese Duo Hold Slender Advantage After Emotional Performance

Sui and Han's short program carried a wealth of emotion after what the pair experienced in 2016.

Sui had surgery on both feet and needed to learn how to walk and skate again, and although they missed a good amount of competition last season, the pair still won gold at the World Championships.

It's easy to understand why the skaters were emotional before, during and after the short program after all they've been through.

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Sui explained her emotions in detail, per Rachel Lutz of NBCOlympics.com:

"I was very emotional today. Even when I was putting on my make-up, I was already crying. I just felt very nervous. But after we got on the ice and finished our routine I realized there's all there is to it. Maybe we gave ourselves too much pressure. But as athletes and a representative of China, as long as you express yourself to your fullest, that's all you can do."

Sui and Han are in position to become the second Chinese pairs team to win gold, but in order to do so, they'll have to best the Russian duo that will perform after them in the free skate.

If Sui and Han put together a free skate comparable to their short program, they'll set themselves up for Olympic glory while putting pressure on Tarasova and Morozov.

With five points separating the Chinese and Russian pairs from the rest of the pack, expect one of the two to leave the ice on Wednesday with gold.

Crowded Field Fighting for Podium Position

The fight for third is going to be one of the most intriguing battles of the Olympics, as third and ninth place are separated by less than three points.

Canada's Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, who won gold in the team event, are third, while two-time third-place finisher Aliona Savchenko of Germany is in fourth with new partner Bruno Massot.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Zhang Hao, who is making his fifth Olympic appearance for China, sits in fifth place with his partner Yu Xiaoyu.

Those three pairs are the ones most likely to earn a medal on Wednesday, with a late challenge for gold or silver possible.

If you're using past performances to figure out which team will emerge with a medal out of the congested pack, the Germans have to be your choice.

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Savchenko and Massot finished second at the 2017 World Championships in between Sui and Han and Tarasova and Morozov.

However, don't count out the confidence gained by Duhamel and Radford during the team event. The Canadian skaters are riding an emotional high at the moment, and they could use the momentum from their two skates in the team event to propel them to a medal-winning free skate.

If Canada or Germany don't finish in the top three, it would come as a surprise given the skill level of both teams. If there was one team to break through into the top three, it would be Zhang and Yu.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Olympic.org.