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TORONTO -- Sixty minutes into the World Cup of Hockey and the American plan, so meticulously mapped out, is in tatters.All the talk of identity and character and imposing their will on opponents was swept aside by the shocking results of the teams tournament-opening 3-0 loss to Team Europe on Saturday.The loss, of course, was disastrous, putting the Americans in the position of pretty much having to beat host and pre-tournament favorite Canada on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) to have a legitimate chance of advancing from the three-game preliminary round.But it was the manner in which this game was lost that is most disheartening and calls into question almost every aspect of this team, from how it was originally selected to the game plan envisioned and even to the personnel decisions for the opening-game roster. This is not a marathon, as coaches always talk about in NHL seasons, this is a sprint, Team USA head coach John Tortorella said. Weve put ourselves in a spot, now were chasing. Were chasing the tournament. Its a spot we didnt want to be in. Its a very dangerous spot, but we are here. We just need to stay together and not blow ourselves up here, have a couple of good days of practice and get ready for our next opponent and try to do better.Hes right, of course.The Americans still control their own fate.The Americans split two pre-tournament games with the powerful Canadians, but what we saw from Team USA Saturday afternoon suggests they are a long way away from where theyll need to be to beat Canada and revive their hopes of advancing.What was supposed to be a hard-driving, blue-collar group of players who would push the pace and exact a toll physically on any and all opponents was inexcusably flat-footed throughout the first two periods.They missed assignments, and while they allowed only 17 shots on goal, they inexplicably allowed multiple odd-man rushes that allowed a surprisingly disciplined, patient Team Europe to score early in both the first and second periods and carry a 3-0 lead into the third.An American team that eschewed more talented offensive players Phil Kessel, Tyler Johnson, Kevin Shattenkirk and Justin Faulk in order to be a team that would be harder to play against was shockingly passive until it was too late.Through the first two periods there might have been two consecutive shifts that revealed that kind of hockey.Not the start that we had drawn or had anticipated, said veteran Zach Parise, who earned a silver medal with Team USA at the 2010 Olympics, but who was also part of a 2014 Olympic team that was shut out in their final two games in Sochi, Russia.Saturdays shutout loss now counts three straight goalless outings in best-on-best tournaments for the Americans.Parise noted there has been a significant gap between Sochi and the start of the World Cup of Hockey.If we got shut out every game this tournament, then we can talk about it, Parise said. Then he paused.You know what? You kind of look back at those games in Russia, and unable to get one, and then unable to get one tonight, so yeah, weve got to do a better job as forwards as a group, he acknowledged.After going 0-for-4 on the power play and failing to get one of their 35 shots past European goalie Jaroslav Halak on Saturday, the decision to leave hard-shooting defenseman Dustin Byfuglien off Saturdays roster seems ill-conceived. Likewise, its easy in the wake of the loss to second-guess the decision to have grinding winger Justin Abdelkader in the lineup ahead of Kyle Palmieri, who scored 30 goals for the New Jersey Devils last season.Of course, if the players who were in the lineup had executed the game plan successfully, well, the story would be different, no?But they didnt.Captain Joe Pavelski led the team with five shots but has yet to find his stride.Brandon Dubinsky took a double minor early in the third period with a needless high stick on Zdeno Chara behind the Team Europe net, and Ryan Kesler, whose agitating presence is key to American success, took two minor penalties in the first half of the game.Defending NHL scoring champ and league MVP Patrick Kane had four shots on net but continued his struggles offensively on the international stage. His turnover at the Team Europe blue line led to an embarrassing 2-on-0 goal by Leon Draisaitl that gave Team Europe a 2-0 lead in the second period.Thats a play that Ive made a million times in my career, Kane said. Just kind of lost the puck, and the next thing you know, they go down 2-on-0. Thats unacceptable from me. But at the same time throughout the game we had chances, we had looks, just didnt really seem to get a break in that game, which is unfortunate because that was a huge game for us.And lets be very clear on one key element: Team Europe was full value for this victory.Marian Gaborik, Frans Nielsen, Draisaitl, Roman Josi and, of course, Halak, had strong games. And a team that began the pre-tournament schedule being embarrassed by Team North America has now beaten Sweden and the U.S. in back-to-back games.Weve come here to play nine periods, and like everybody else, we want to play next weekend, a defiant Team Europe head coach Ralph Krueger said.So that was from the get-go the reason for us to be here. We didnt see ourselves as just a sideshow ever. This group has always been building to do this, what happened today.Sideshow? Far from it. Team Europes victory Saturday reinforces that things like identity arent forged by words but by confronting adversity. And while many believed Team Europe would be easy prey for teams like Canada and, yes, the United States, their commitment to their plan and to their teammates has dramatically altered the narrative of this tournament.Now Team USA has until Tuesday to figure out a way to alter a storyline that right now looks like it will end very quickly at the World Cup of Hockey. 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CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will not play in the teams home opener Thursday night against the Washington Capitals as he continues his recovery from a concussion.Crosby did join his teammates for practice Wednesday after working out vigorously with a trainer and goaltender on an adjacent sheet of ice for more than 30 minutes.Crosby took one line rush wearing a normal jersey and then donned a yellow noncontact jersey, but stayed for the balance of the teams workout and was visibly upbeat during the workout.Im always happy when Im on the ice, Crosby told reporters after the workout. Im always happy. Ive been through this before I dont get too caught up in every little step.Crosby missed the teams preseason game against Columbus on Saturday and it was revealed Monday that he had been diagnosed with a concussion after practice on Friday.Crosby, 29, missed significant time during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons while recovering from post-concussion symptoms. News of his new diagnosis has created a ripple of concern throughout the hockey world.Although he has now skated on consecutive days, Crosby said he knows enough not to try and read too much into it.It can go a lot of different ways, he said. Youre trying to find that range where youre stressing your body and testing it but not putting it in a position where youre going to not feel good. Its a fine line and just trying to make sure I progress.Coach Mike Sullivan was likewise cautiously optimistic about Crosbys appearance with the main group of players on Wednesday. Hes obviously feeling well enough that he wants to jooin the team for practice and get involved in some of the flow drills and thats what we did, Sullivan said.ddddddddddddWell take it step by step and were following the guidance of our medical team and well go from there, but hes certainly making progress and thats encouraging from our standpoint, the coach said.Sullivan did rule Crosby out of the teams first regular-season game Thursday. Before that game the Penguins will raise their 2016 Stanley Cup banner to the rafters of the recently renamed PPG Paints Arena. The coach confirmed that Crosby will have to go through a full-contact practice before he is cleared to play in a regular-season game.Theres obviously a protocol thats mandated that these guys follow, Sullivan said. Part of it is you heighten their heart rates to a certain level, and as they make progress you add the intensity of their workouts and you see how they respond.That makes the most sense, to get him into contact drills and get him back into the intensity of a game-like environment so that when he does go back into the lineup, hes prepared to succeed.Crosby is coming off a superlative 2015-16 season that saw him start slowly with just five points in October but finish with some of the best hockey of his career. He was named playoff MVP in helping the Penguins to a second Stanley Cup during his tenure with the team.Crosby then led Team Canada to an undefeated run at the World Cup of Hockey last month. He led all tournament scorers and was named tournament MVP. Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store Wholesale Jerseys China Jerseys NFL China ' ' '