[[468455623, R, 300, 87]]
One of the biggest stars on skis, Mikaela Shiffrin, is set to hit the slopes; snowboarder Shaun White will look at another halfpipe medal; and the U.S. Men's Hockey Team, featuring three guys with Pennsylvania and New Jersey ties, are set to take the ice in a busy day of Winter Olympics action.
Here's what to watch out for over the next 24 hours:
Mikaela Shiffrin Finally Will Ski (If the Wintry Weather Cooperates)
Two days later than expected, Mikaela Shiffrin will make her Pyeongchang debut on Wednesday morning (Tuesday night in the U.S.).
After the giant slalom race was postponed due to dangerous winds Monday, Shiffrin will first ski in her signature event, the slalom. Shiffrin was the youngest-ever Olympic slalom champion at the Sochi Games at age 18, and she's the first woman to win three consecutive slalom world titles in 78 years. She hopes to become the first person to win the slalom gold medal twice in a row.
[[473814003, R]]
This will be Shiffrin’s first race of a busy schedule — she’ll be back on the mountain Thursday morning (Wednesday night in the U.S.) for the giant slalom. Skiing two races in two days shouldn’t be a problem for Shiffrin — World Cup races are often held on consecutive days. She is the favorite for a medal in slalom and giant slalom — and she might add the other three individual women’s races to her Pyeongchang itinerary.
Lindsey Vonn, another standout American skier, will not compete in the slalom.
Watch live on NBC10, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET, or on digital platforms.
And catch the finals runs, starting at 11:45 p.m. ET on digital platforms.
Back from Sochi Debacle, Shaun White Aims for 3rd Gold in the Halfpipe
In Sochi four years ago, Team USA’s Shaun White hoped to become snowboarding’s first three-time Olympic gold medalist in men’s halfpipe. In the end, he made mistakes on both runs and placed fourth.
[[473812983, R]]
White, Japan’s Ayumu Hirano and Australia’s Scotty James are top contenders for the gold in Pyeongchang. At 30, White’s going up against the sport’s younger generation. Hirano is 19, while James is 23. White’s teammates, 23-year-old Ben Ferguson and 19-year-old Jake Pates, are making their Olympic debuts. Chase Josey, 22, also made the final.
Despite his veteran status, White made a statement in qualifying. He's on top going into the final.
Watch live on NBC10, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, or on digital platforms.
U.S. Men’s Hockey Team Needs No Miracles: Coach
The U.S. men’s hockey team has not won a gold medal since the “Miracle on Ice” team of 1980, but on Monday the team’s coach told reporters, according to The Los Angeles Times: “To win we don’t need a miracle. We need to be at our best for two weeks.”
For the first time since the 1994 Olympic Games, NHL players will not be part of the teams’ rosters. Team USA makes its Pyeongchang debut Wednesday morning against Slovenia.
The U.S. team features Pennsylvania natives Ryan Gunderson, Chad Kolarik, Brian O'Neill and Ryan Zapolski as well as New Jersey's Bobby Sanguinetti.
[[473826233, R]]
The Russians are favored for the gold medal, with NHL-level talent such as Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk, Slava Voynov and Nikita Gusev, all of whom play in the major Russian professional league. The team has been called the “Red machine” and it’s the one to beat.
Watch Team USA take on Slovenia live on NBCSN at 7:10 a.m. ET Wednesday or on digital platforms.
Figure Skaters Together on the Ice — and at Home
Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim were named the sole U.S. pair skaters for the Pyeongchang Games in January after a tough journey to the Olympics. The couple met in 2012, when then-Alexa Scimeca split from her first partner, and the following year earned a silver medal at the 2013 U.S. Championships. They married in 2016, but soon afterward she needed multiple abdominal surgeries for a life-threatening condition. They missed most of the 2016-17 season’s competitions.
Now, they are expected to compete four times in Pyeongchang. On the opening day of the figure skating team event, they finished fourth in the pairs’ free skate.
[[473812283, L]]
On Tuesday night, the couple will compete in the short program to “Come What May” from "Moulin Rouge."
Watch live on NBC10, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday, or on digital platforms.
Fletcher Brothers Bring Sibling Rivalry to the Slopes in Cross-Country Skiing, Jumping
Bryan and Taylor Fletcher continue their sibling rivalry on the slopes in the Nordic combined event, a mixture of ski jumping and cross-country skiing. Bryan Fletcher, 31, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 4 and kept his mind off chemotherapy sessions with ski jumping. After he turned to the Nordic combined, his younger brother, Taylor, followed. Taylor Fletcher made his Olympic debut in Vancouver; both brothers competed in Sochi.
[[473813243, R]]
Germany is the country to beat. The Nordic combined is dominated by five-time World Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist Eric Frenzel of Germany. Other top competitors include: Johannes Rydzek of Germany, a two-time Olympian in the sport, winning team silver and bronze medals; Jason Lamy-Chappuis of France, a gold medalist in the Nordic combined; and Jorgen Graabak, the Olympic gold medalist on the Nordic combined large hill.
Watch live on NBCSN beginning at 2:30 a.m. ET Wednesday or on digital platforms.
Photo Credit: David Ramos/Getty Images
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.