ble damage during his temporary absence, scoring 10 points and giving Wasps plen | Forum

TORONTO -- After only two games at the shiny new 2016 World Cup of Hockey, Team USA has no hope of advancing beyond the three-game preliminary round. Cheap Air Force 1 China .No hope.Now theres a notion that resonates in the aftermath of its soul-sucking 4-2 loss to host Canada on Tuesday night. Two straight uninspired losses have opened up the team and the process by which it was selected to widespread ridicule.I dont worry about that stuff, U.S. defenseman Ryan Suter, near tears, said after the loss. I worry about the guys in the room. I think were all disappointed. I feel like we let our country down. We let ourselves down. Its just disappointing. You come into this not knowing how many more chances youre going to get, and to be out after two games is extremely disappointing.Team USA didnt come to Toronto as a favorite in this tournament, but did anyone expect it would exit so meekly?Certainly not GM Dean Lombardi and his management team that went off the grid in avoiding high-skill players in favor of players with character, grit, leadership.Through two games, the Americans displayed very few of those qualities.They have scored only two goals and held a lead for exactly 1 minute, 30 seconds.So, was this about picking the wrong players?Or the wrong coach?Or both?One of the most humbling parts of this debacle is that ostensibly this U.S. team was built to face down the international giant that is Canada. The Americans knew they couldnt match them skill for skill, so they hoped to beat them with truculence, a favored term of Brian Burke, who built such a team in 2010 that earned a silver medal (losing in overtime to Canada in an epic gold-medal game).But if that was the case, why was Brandon Dubinsky not in the lineup against Canada on Tuesday? A longtime foil of Canadian captain Sidney Crosby, there seemed to be no reason for Dubinsky to be on this team if he wasnt going to play against Canada.Better to have scorers Phil Kessel, Tyler Johnson or Kyle Okposo.And what of Dustin Byfuglien, the big Winnipeg Jets defenseman who was a healthy scratch from the first game, a 3-0 loss to lightly regarded Team Europe that put the U.S. in a must-win position Tuesday night? His play Tuesday explained in part why he was scratched, as he lost track of Matt Duchene, allowing the Canadian forward to tie the score less than two minutes after Ryan McDonagh had scored the Americans first goal of the tournament.There have always been risk and reward issues with Byfuglien, and yet he was among the first 16 players named last March, presumably to provide offense and a physical presence.And yet its as though there was as disconnect between the coaching staff and the management team as to how this team was supposed to come together. When the team went 0-for-4 on the power play in the first game, it seemed that Byfugliens absence was a problem.Then when he was on the ice, his presence was a problem.Better to have had defensemen Justin Faulk or Kevin Shattenkirk or Cam Fowler, all of whom played in Sochi? The answer now seems unequivocally yes.Even the goaltending choice seemed to have been misguided.Jonathan Quick was stellar in the teams first pre-tournament game against Canada, which assured him the job, even though he was only ordinary against the San Jose Sharks in a first-round playoff loss last spring, while the Tampa Bay Lightnings Ben Bishop led his team to the 2015 Stanley Cup finals and then the Eastern Conference finals last season and has a .927 save percentage over the past two playoff years.Not that Quick had much help, but at one point Tuesday hed allowed three goals on six Canadian shots.Up front, bringing Johnson, a proven playoff performer, would have allowed captain Joe Pavelski to stay on the wing, where he has had tremendous success for the Sharks.But what is undeniable is that the players who were in Toronto simply werent good enough.Defending scoring champ Patrick Kane continued his struggles offensively in these best-on-best tournaments, going without a goal in two games. He did not score at all in Sochi.He seemed unsure of himself, passing up a glorious chance to shoot on a 3-on-1 in the second period, the U.S. trailing 3-1, to make a pass that went awry.I obviously didnt do my job this tournament and produce offense and help create goals for the team, Kane said.Was it the winger or was he never put in a position to succeed?USA coach John Tortorella never found the right combination of players to unleash Kanes magnificent skill. He tried Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty, who has had a dreadful tournament, as well as James van Riemsdyk and others.Certainly Tortorella is a lightning rod for the significant discontent with the American collapse. When he was named head coach, he was between jobs and the feeling was that his emotion would serve Team USA well in a short tournament with so little margin for error.But shortly after being named to the post, Tortorella got the head coaching job with the Columbus Blue Jackets.The strange thing is that Tortorella had a top-notch coaching staff working with him, including Mike Sullivan, who is coming off a Stanley Cup win with the Pittsburgh Penguins?in June, and yet this team never found any kind of rhythm.Even small things, like not pulling Quick in the third period when the U.S. was trailing by three but went on a power play.Yeah, its disappointing, frustrating, Tortorella said of the teams performance thus far. All different types of emotions. Yeah, I think we let some people down. Its on my watch. I certainly feel responsible for that. So yeah, its really disappointing.And heres the thing, as the Americans contemplate a final meaningless preliminary round game with the Czech Republic on Thursday (8 p.m., ESPN2).Everything was tilted the Americans way at this tournament to give them the best chance of success.They were slotted in the softest of the two World Cup of Hockey pools with lesser hockey lights Team Europe and the Czech Republic. They didnt have to play back-to-back games. They got two days off to prepare for Canada.But whatever breaks had been given them were not nearly enough to overcome the myriad flaws this team possesses. Wholesale Air Force 1 . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. Air Force 1 Cheap Near Me . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. http://www.airforce1nearme.com/sb-shoes-outlet-near-me.html Australian star Kurtley Beale scored a try and was sin-binned on his debut as Wasps toppled Connacht 32-17 to go top of their European Champions Cup pool.Beale, thought to be the Aviva Premierships highest-paid player, took just seven minutes to open his account as he returned to rugby following more than six months out after suffering a knee injury playing for Sydney-based Super Rugby franchise the Waratahs.It delayed his Wasps debut until a fortnight before Christmas, and an eventful afternoon at the Ricoh Arena also saw him receive a yellow card for a high tackle.Wasps, though, kept their collective composure as number eight Nathan Hughes, skipper Joe Launchbury and wing Josh Bassett followed Beales try-scoring example, while fly-half Jimmy Gopperth kicked two penalties and three conversions to underpin a 32-17 victory ahead of next weeks Pool Two return fixture in Galway.Wasps claimed a try-scoring bonus and moved three points clear of Connacht and four above Toulouse, although they were given a stern test by their opponents for large parts of an entertaining contest.Scrum-half Kieran Marmion and substitute Rory Parata scored tries for the visitors, with fly-half Jack Carty converting both Connacht touchdowns and kicking a penalty, and despite the defeat, last seasons Guinness PRO12 champions remain firmly in the quarter-final mix.Beales introduction apart, Wasps also welcomed back Launchbury from a two-week ban, while fit-again Gopperth and wing Christian Wade featured behind the scrum.Fly-half Danny Cipriani remained absent due to a calf muscle injury suffered before last weekends Aviva Premiership game against Worcester.Lock Ultan Dillane featured in Connachts line-up for the first time since Irelands successful autumn campaign, with his fellow international Niyi Adeolokun also featuring on the wing and half-backs Carty and Marmion being reunited.Connacht, eighth in the PRO12 but a point clear before kick-off as leaders of their Champions Cup group, made the initial running, puttiing Wasps under pressure through a series of forward-led drives, only for Hughes to lead a strong counter-attack as the game matched early expectations. Air Force 1 Shoes Near Me. And Wasps were in no mood to let the opportunity go astray as they pounded away at Connachts line before slick passing saw Beale touch down for a try that Gopperth converted for a 7-0 lead.An eventful afternoon then continued for Beale when he was sin-binned - probably harshly - by French referee Alexandre Ruiz for a high tackle on Adeolokun after the Connacht player appeared to duck into the challenge, and Cartys resulting penalty cut the deficit, before a Gopperth strike made it 10-3.But Connacht continued to test Wasps defensive awareness, and they were undone after 24 minutes when Marmion spotted a considerable gap around the forward fringes and sprinted clear to score an opportunist try that Carty converted to tie up an enthralling encounter.Beale then rejoined the action, yet Connacht had inflicted considerable damage during his temporary absence, scoring 10 points and giving Wasps plenty to think about as a fast and furious battle continued at pace.Gopperth then kicked a penalty as half-time approached, and Wasps led 13-10 at the interval.And the second period began in breathless fashion as each side scored a converted try within five minutes, with Hughes close-range effort being cancelled out by an interception touchdown from Connacht replacement Parata that Carty converted.Wasps were being tested defensively, but after they had a let-off when Carty missed a penalty, the home side struck in style when Launchbury powered over on a 20-metre surge for a try that saw Gopperth maintain his 100 per cent strike-rate by converting.Connacht could find no way back this time, and Wasps sealed the deal eight minutes from time when Beales pass sent an unmarked Bassett over to secure a five-point maximum. ' ' '