Olympic viewing guide: Mixed doubles curling goes bonkers

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Canada did not reach the podium on Day 2 of medal events in Beijing. Snowboarder Laurie Blouin came close, placing fourth in the women's slopestyle. Speed skater Ted-Jan Bloemen did not, finishing 10th in the men's 5,000 metres. With both athletes falling short after taking silver in these events four years ago, Canada remains at two medals and is still looking for its first gold.

But it was far from a boring day. The mixed doubles curling event went bonkers, with Canada's team at the centre of the chaos. The mayhem (both on and off the ice) set up a dramatic conclusion to the round robin tonight, followed by the semifinals on Monday morning.

We'll start our daily viewing guide there, then look at what could be a big medal day for Canada in snowboarding and short track speed skating. Plus, a Canadian teenage figure skater delivers under pressure and the Dufour-Lapointe sisters share a tearful farewell.

Here's what to watch on Sunday night and Monday morning:

Today looked like it would be a get-right day for Canada's Rachel Homan and John Morris. A tough schedule to start the tournament left the Canadians clinging to the fourth and final playoff spot with three games remaining. But Sunday's matchups vs. the Czech Republic and Australia — the two worst teams in the standings entering the day — offered a great chance for Canada to solidify its status for the medal round. The road seemed to get even easier when one of Australia's players tested positive for COVID-19, apparently disqualifying them from the rest of the event and removing the danger of Canada suffering an upset.

Until, that is, Chinese health officials reinstated the Australian duo in time for them to upset 2018 silver medallist Switzerland for their first win. Then the rejuvenated Aussies pulled off an even bigger shocker, racing out to a 7-0 lead over Canada before blowing it but ultimately pulling out a 10-8 win when Homan whiffed with her team's final rock.

That brutal defeat forces Canada (5-3) into the most pressure-packed scenario imaginable for tonight's final round-robin draw. A win puts them in the playoffs. A loss sends them home. And their opponent is the top team in the table: 8-0 Italy. The surprising Italians have already locked up the top seed for the semifinals, but they'd surely love to knock out the country that won gold in 2018, when Morris dominated this event with Kaitlyn Lawes. The round-robin finale is at 8:05 p.m. ET.

If Morris and Homan survive, they'll play in the semifinals at 7:05 a.m. ET. Great Britain and Norway (both 5-3) have joined Italy in clinching spots, based on their tiebreaker advantages. If Canada doesn't get the final berth, it will go to Sweden (5-4). 

Read more about today's mixed doubles drama and watch highlights here. Get primed for tonight's game by watching That Curling Show with hosts Devin Heroux and Colleen Jones at 7 p.m. ET on the CBC Sports YouTube channel.

WATCH | Homan, Morris suffer shocking loss to Australia:

While the curling semifinals aren't technically medal games, they also kind of are, in the sense that a victory guarantees you at least a silver. But if we're talking opportunities for Canadians to win actual, defined spots on the podium, here are the strong possibilities in chronological order:Snowboarding: Men's slopestyle final at 11 p.m. ET

Canada's big 3 of Mark McMorris, Max Parrot and Seb Toutant all qualified today for the 12-man final. Each guy is capable of reaching the podium in this event, which involves riders tricking off ramps and urban-style features like railings and a makeshift roof. McMorris did it at the last two Winter Olympics, taking bronze both times. Parrot topped him in 2018, winning silver. Parrot took silver at last year's world championships, and is the reigning Olympic champ in big air, an event that demands a similar skill set (McMorris and Parrot are also very good at it).

McMorris, though, seems like the man for Canada right now. He won the prestigious X Games men's slopestyle title for the sixth time two weeks ago, and last night he put up the second-best score in qualifying. Toutant, who skipped the X Games, was eighth in qualifying. Parrot, who finished seventh at the X Games, was 10th. The top qualifier was 17-year-old Chinese rider Su Yiming. He's now the slight betting favourite to win gold, just ahead of McMorris.