NBC Olympics Schedule 2018: Sunday Night's TV, Live-Stream Info
Sunday serves as the latest showcase of United States athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Although medals won't be up for grabs for the Americans in the spotlight, they'll be in position to set themselves up for Olympic glory in the coming days.
Alex and Maia Shibutani are after their second medal in figure skating as they start competition in the ice dance in one of the events that takes place on Monday morning in Pyeongchang.
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Up in the mountains, the large American contingent in the ski halfpipe and snowboard big air should set high marks in qualifying.
In ice hockey, the United States women are looking to set up yet another gold-medal clash with Canada, but first they have to get past Finland in the semifinals.
Sunday Night Schedule
TV Coverage: NBC (7 p.m.-midnight ET), NBCSN (8 p.m ET-1:30 a.m. ET)
Live Stream: NBCOlympics.com
Figure Skating
Ice dance short program (8 p.m. ET, coverage on NBCSN and NBC)
Freestyle Skiing
Women's halfpipe qualification (8 p.m. ET, NBC)
Ice Hockey
Women's semifinal: United States vs. Finland (11:10 p.m. ET, NBCSN)
Snowboarding
Women's big air qualification (8 p.m. ET, NBC)
All events take place on Monday in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Shibutanis Headline American Contingent in Ice Dance
The Shibutani siblings thrived during the team event, as they finished second in the short program and free dance behind Canada's gold-medal favorite pairing of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
With a bronze already on their Pyeongchang resume, the Shibutanis hope to lead an impressive string of American performances over the next two days in ice dance.
The two-time World Championships medalists sit squarely under the spotlight because of their skill and visibility on social media, but there are two other pairs that could medal in Pyeongchang.
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue come into South Korea as the U.S. champions in the discipline, while Madison Chock and Evan Bates carry experience from Sochi.
Hubbell and Donohue earned two podium finishes in Grand Prix events this season as well as a fourth-place showing at the Grand Prix final.
Since placing eighth in Sochi, Chock and Bates have produced consistent results, including top-three finishes in each of the last four U.S. Championships and a pair of second-place Grand Prix finishes this season before taking fifth at the Grand Prix final.
While the Shibutanis have been in the medal discussion for quite some time, don't be surprised to see one of the two other American pairs thrive in the short program and move into medal contention.
Women's Hockey One Step Away from Return to Final
After three days off, the United States women's hockey team is back on the ice for the semifinal against Finland, which takes place late on Sunday night and runs into Monday morning.
The Americans ended pool play with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Canada that ended with a skirmish in front of goal between the bitter rivals.
If everything goes well for the United States on Sunday, it will take part in more action directly in front of the opposing goalkeeper.
Head coach Robb Stauber is aware of the game plan opponents used against the United States in pool play to counter its speed, and he admitted he'd utilize the same strategy, as he noted to USA Today's Kevin Allen.
"Teams respect our speed and skill so they pack it in," Stauber said. "They make it hard to get clean plays through the areas in the crease, or the tight areas. It's a good game plan. You got to pack it in. I would, too."
The best way to counter the blockade in front of the net is to go right at it, which is what the Americans should do against one of the best goalies in the world in Finland's Noora Raty.
As long as they drown out the hype surrounding the gold-medal game rematch with Canada, the Americans should cruise to victory over a team they defeated 3-1 in their first game of the competition.
However, if the thought of playing Canada creeps into the minds of its players, the United States could be in for a struggle against a Finland side that's far from a pushover.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Olympic.org.
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