SOCHI, RUSSIA –

Another disappointing performance by Mao Asada on Saturday night has reduced Japan's chances at a medal in the inaugural Olympic team event.

Mao skated in the short program to "Nocturne" and fell on her opening triple axel. She recovered to land a triple flip and a triple loop/double loop combination jump, but appeared lackluster after the spill and totaled only 64.07 points, which puts her in third place.

By finishing third in the short program, Mao earned Japan only eight points instead of the 10 it would have received had she won. Those two points could be enough to keep Japan off the podium when the competition concludes on Sunday night.

Russia leads the overall standings with 47 points. Canada is second with 41, with the United States third at 34.

Japan is in fifth place with 30 points, one behind Italy.

The sixth through 10th-place teams did not qualify for Sunday's final day of competition.

Six weeks after finishing third at the Japan nationals while struggling with her triple axel, it appears little has changed for Mao. On this occasion the stakes were even higher, because the Japan team was counting on her to get the maximum score.

"I couldn't skate the way I'm capable of skating," said Mao. "I told my teammates, 'I'm so sorry' (for the fall)."

Mao claims she was unsettled before taking the ice.

"I was unbelievably nervous," she stated. "I felt more pressure than expected. It wasn't just my performance. I've got to settle my nerves."

Of the continuing issues with the triple axel, Mao seemed perplexed.

"It didn't go the way it had been in training," she noted. "I couldn't land one in the six-minute warmup and that carried over into the competition."

The team competition aside, the outlook for Mao in the singles seems more ominous now.

Russia's Julia Lipnitskaia performed to "You Don't Give Up on Love" and was backed by boisterous support from the home crowd. She tallied 72.90 and leads heading into the free skate.

The 15-year-old opened with a triple lutz/triple toe loop combo, then hit a double axel and a triple flip in an impressive showing.

"I did what I wanted to do on the ice today," Lipnitskaia said. "Of course there was a bit of worry but, thank God, I coped well with everything I had to do. I knew I had to be calm. I had to do it all for the team."

Italy's Carolina Kostner's routine to "Ave Maria"was both elegant and smooth. The 2012 world champion, who turned 27 today, is in second with 70.84.

"I've been training very hard, just like everyone else," she commented. "Sometimes it's beneficial to feel discomfort, to push yourself."

American Ashley Wagner competed to "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" and is fourth with 63.10. Wagner was at the center of a controversy last month after finishing fourth at the U.S. nationals, but still being selected for the Olympic team over third-place Mirai Nagasu.

"It was tough going out there after a disappointing nationals, so it was important for me to redeem myself," said Wagner.

Wagner did feel she was scored correctly by the judges.

"I don't agree with the marks, but that's what the individual event is for," she stated.

Russia was boosted by the first-place finish of Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov (135.09) in pairs, in which only five groups skated.

Canada's Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch (129.74) took second.

Narumi Takahashi and Ryuichi Kihara (86.33) came in fifth in the free skate for pairs, which earned Japan six points.

Two-time world champion Meryl Davis and Charlie White lead the ice dance with 75.98. The Americans were the silver medalists at the Vancouver Games.

Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are second with 72.98, while Russia’s Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev are third on 70.27.

Cathy and Chris Reed stand in eighth place after the short dance. The duo skated to a quickstep and foxtrot medley and garnered a score of 52.00.

"It felt really, really good," said Cathy Reed. "It wasn't our personal best but it was our first Olympic event in four years and it was definitely very exciting. I'm just glad we had a clean performance tonight."

Japan's medal hopes in the team event are complicated by the fact that the four countries in front of them all have superior ice dance teams.

The team event will conclude on Sunday night with the women's and men's free skate and free dance.

The men’s singles competition will commence on Thursday with the short program.