2022 Olympics: Odds, Schedule, Medal Favorites and Predictions for Thursday
The 2022 Winter Olympics continues to unfold, but we're entering the final days of competition. The games are set to wrap with the closing ceremony on Sunday, and of the events left on the slate, more will be medal rounds than not.
Thursday's schedule should be a thrilling one, with fans getting to watch medal events in marquee disciplines like freestyle skiing and women's hockey. We'll also get qualifiers and semifinal rounds in curling and men's hockey.
Here, you'll find a look at the full broadcast schedule, the latest odds and more.
Thursday's Schedule
7:05 a.m. ET
Men's curling semifinal, Sweden vs. Canada: NBC Sports
Men's curling semifinal, USA vs. Great Britain: NBC Sports
9:30 a.m. ET
*Nordic combined, men's 4x5-kilometer relay (re-air): USA Network
10 a.m. ET
Women's speed skating 1,000-meter (re-air): USA Network
10:30 a.m. ET
*Women's ski cross finals (re-air): USA Network
11 a.m. ET
Women's curling round robin, South Korea vs. Sweden (re-air): USA Network
2 p.m. ET
Men's curling semifinal, USA vs. Great Britain (re-air): USA Network
5 p.m. ET
Men's curling semifinal, Canada vs. Sweden (re-air): CNBC
Freestyle skiing, women's ski cross (re-air): USA Network
6 p.m. ET
Freestyle skiing, women's halfpipe qualifying (re-air): USA Network
7 p.m. ET
Freestyle skiing, men's halfpipe qualifying (re-air): USA Network
8 p.m. ET
Prime-time Olympics coverage featuring freestyle skiing, free skate and more: NBC
Men's curling semifinal, USA vs. Great Britain (re-air): CNBC
8:30 p.m. ET
*Freestyle skiing, women's halfpipe finals: NBC Sports, USA Network
10 p.m. ET
*Nordic combined, men's 4x5-kilometer relay (re-air): USA Network
10:45 p.m. ET
Freestyle skiing, men's ski cross qualifying: NBC Sports, USA Network
11:10 p.m. ET
Men's hockey semifinal: Slovakia vs. Finland: NBC Sports, USA Network
* Medal events are indicated by an asterisk. All events can be live-streamed on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
Latest Odds and Medal Favorites
Odds for select Winter Games events can be found at DraftKings.
Curling Gold-Medal Favorite, Men's
Great Britain 5-4
Sweden 7-4
Canada 5-2
USA 4-1
Curling Gold-Medal Favorite, Women's
Switzerland 5-4
Sweden 3-2
Great Britain 7-2
Japan 4-1
Men's Hockey Semifinal, Slovakia vs. Finland
Line: Finland -1.5
Over/Under: 5
Preview and Predictions
Curling will be on full display on Thursday, with both men's semifinal matches and women's round robin.
In the men's semis, Team USA will take on Great Britain, while Canada will battle Sweden. The United States is looking to defend its 2018 gold medal and is coming off a big 7-5 win against Demark.
While curling is quite a niche sport, it becomes a fan-favorite during Olympic years. The United States' recent success has also led to its popularity in America—and to athletes taking their training a little more seriously.
"Starting in 2010 and moving forward, it really became where all the rest of the countries around the world started [prioritizing fitness]," American John Shuster said, per Glynn A. Hill of the Washington Post. "People realize what can be done in our sport, and I think it really just takes that athleticism to the next level."
While Great Britain is favored to win gold, America has the talent to pull off the win. America only went 5-4 in pool play but handed Great Britain its only loss, 9-7. Expect another close match, with the United States edging out the British for a second time.
The women's halfpipe finals in freestyle skiing should make for a bit of prime-time appointment viewing.
The freestyle events have been fantastic during this year's games, with gravity-defying spins and jaw-dropping tricks wowing fans regularly. The women's halfpipe field is now down to 12 and will commence its final round on Thursday evening (Friday morning in Beijing).
China's Eileen Gu is looking for her third medal of the games, after taking gold in big air and silver in slopestyle.
Gu will face heavy competition from Canada's Rachael Karker and Estonia's Kelly Sildaru, who rounded out the top three in qualifying. Americans Brita Sigourney, Hanna Faulhaber and Carly Margulies all finished in the top 12.
It's going to be a fierce battle, but the expectation is that Gu wins her second gold of the Beijing games.
The night's action will conclude with the men's hockey semifinal match between Slovakia and Sweden.
Slovakia upset Team USA in the quarterfinals in a shootout, despite the Americans holding a 2-1 lead in the closing minute. However, Sweden is favored and likely to move on.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and Finland are also still alive for the gold.