The first week of the 2018 Winter Olympics is officially in the books, but there’s still a ton of action left on tap in Pyeongchang. This weekend is absolutely jam-packed with exciting matchups and medal competitions. Beginning Saturday night, fans will be able to watch as gold medals are up for grabs in alpine skiing, figure skating, short track, skeleton, ski jumping and many more.
This Winter Games has been anything but predictable, with numerous favorites falling short and underdogs unexpectedly making it onto the podium. No result has been more exemplary of how the Pyeongchang Games have gone so far more than Friday’s women’s super-G event, when Czech Republic snowboarder Ester Ledecka—competing on borrowed skis from USA gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin —bested a field that included American star Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Anna Veith of Austria. Ledecka’s odds to win going into the super-G were 50-to-1 (+5000), well behind favorites Tina Weirather (LIE, +350) and Lara Gut (SUI, +400).
Andy Glockner pointed out Ledecka’s previous finishes in the super-G:
This is Ledecka's World Cup Super G track record before tonight. Unreal. pic.twitter.com/eyYEoFLUJr
— Andy Glockner (@AndyGlockner) February 17, 2018
Ledecka isn’t the first longshot to earn gold and glory at the Olympics and she certainly won’t be the last. There’s sure to be plenty more shocking results in store for viewers before the Games come to an end on Feb. 25, likely as soon as this weekend. Elite handicapper Jon Price of Sportsinformationtraders.com sent over his top predictions for the next two days and he foresees at least one upset in this span. Before getting to the betting pro’s picks, take a look at the full schedule, start times, TV and live streaming information, an updated medal count and more for every Friday and Saturday event at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
2018 Winter Olympics Viewing Guide – Sunday, Feb. 18
Medal Count (as of 2/18 at 12 p.m. ET):
TV: NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA
Complete Olympics events schedule and odds can be found here.
Events Schedule (* indicates live competition):
Sunday, Feb. 18
3-5 p.m. -- Ice Hockey Game of the Day (replay), NBCSN
3-6 p.m. -- Men's Freestyle Skiing (aerials gold medal final), NBC
3-6 p.m. -- Men's Speed Skating (Team Pursuit Competition), NBC
3-6 p.m. -- Men's Biathlon (15km Mass Start Gold medal final, NBC
4-7 p.m. -- Men's Curling: U.S. vs. Norway, CNBC
7-8 p.m. -- Olympic Ice, NBCSN
7 p.m.-Midnight -- Figure Skating (ice dancing short dance), NBC *
7 p.m.-Midnight -- Women's Freestyle Skiing (halfpipe), NBC *
7 p.m.-Midnight -- Women's Speed Skating (500m gold medal final), NBC
7 p.m.-Midnight -- Two-Man Bobsled (competition), NBC
7 p.m.-Midnight -- Men's Cross Country (4x10km relay gold medal final), NBC
8-10:15 p.m. -- Figure Skating (ice dancing short dance), NBCSN *
10:15-11:10 p.m. -- Men's Freestyle Skiing (aerials gold medal final), NBCSN
11 p.m.-1:30 a.m. -- Women's Ice Hockey (semifinal), NBCSN *
Top Sunday Bet: Women’s Ice Hockey Semifinals – Finland vs. USA
The United States women’s hockey team is fairing far better in Pyeongchang than their men’s counterpart. The U.S. lost a single game—unfortunately to archrival Canada—to close out qualifiers, but still earned enough points for an automatic berth in the semifinals. The women will now face Finland, which destroyed Sweden in a 7-2 route during the quarterfinals, for the right’s to play for a gold medal on February 22. It’s a rematch of Group A’s opening game of the tournament, a matchup the U.S. won by a 3-1 margin.
Here’s a peek at the updated odds and viewing information for this game:
2018 Women's Hockey Semifinals Preview - USA vs. Finland
Date: Sunday, February 18 (Game takes place on Monday, February 19 in Pyeongchang)
Start Time: 11 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Stream: NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports App
| Team | Odds | Moneyline | Total |
| Finland | -3 (+100) | +950 | O 5.5 (-118) |
| USA | -3 (+120) | -5000 | U 5.5 (-118) |
Hockey odds courtesy of BookMaker.eu Sportsbook
Vegas is expecting a huge victory for the Stars and Stripes, opening betting with the USA as a -5000 (1-50) favorite on the moneyline. Finland has a much better chance, however, when factoring in a three-goal spread (Finland +3 is +100, shorter than USA -3 at +120). The over/under for total goals is set at 5.5, and there has been even action on both sides so far.
Prior to the Games, the United States was the odds-on favorite to win it all at -120, ahead of Canada (+100) and a distant third Finland (+1600). The odds haven’t changed too much now that there are only four teams remaining in contention, here’s a look at them:
Women's Hockey Gold Medal Odds
| Team | Gold Odds |
| USA | -140 |
| Canada | +100 |
| Finland | +1800 |
| Russia (OAR) | +5000 |
Obviously the United States should win this one and win it big, but Finland did show some spark last week when they last played this foe. They scored the opening goal of the tourney, a quick wrister from Venla Hovi with seconds left on the clock in the first period.
When asked about the slow start, USA forward Kendall Coyne had this to say, as per SportsIllustrated.com:
A little bit of nerves. A little bit of excitement, jitters. I think it showed in the first period. We were a little bit not-ourselves. But I think after that we regrouped. We got that first Olympic shift under our belt and we were ready to go.
It appeared the USA might have some trouble, but the favorites turned it on in the second and outshot the Finns by a 23-5 margin, scoring two goals in three minutes. The U.S. survived a barrage of attempts in the third, but goalie Maddie Rooney held her ground and the team iced the contest with an empty netter in the final minute. It’ll be interesting to see how the Americans respond in the rematch, especially after losing the last time they were on the ice against Canada.
Team Canada defeated the United States on Feb 15, handing the Americans their first loss of the tournament. It was the second time in as many Olympic showdowns between the teams that the Canadians emerged victorious, a troubling trend for a United States squad that would be disappointed with any result besides gold at Pyeongchang. They had to settle for silver after falling to Team Canada in the finals at Sochi back in 2014 and are hungry for a chance to avenge that loss in this year’s gold medal game. Because of that, the USA may get caught looking ahead and have some trouble in the semifinals.
Don’t be surprised if Finland is able to find the back of the net at least once and possibly twice in this game, making things interesting for a little while. The USA is far too talented to outright lose, but they might have their noses bloodied and find themselves needing to play catch-up to advance, just as they did in the opener.Don't forget that Finnish goalie Noora Raty is one of the top netminders in the tourney and can potentially keep her team in it by herself if she's on. For these reasons, Finland keeps this one within two scores and the top bet of Sunday is Finland +3 goals.
Pick: Finland +3
Prediction: USA 3 – Finland 1
