Tortorella's puzzling decisions put U.S. in danger of early exit

The United States was dismantled by Team Europe in the opening game of the World Cup of Hockey on Saturday, and while John Tortorella's decisions weren't the sole reason for the defeat, some of his moves put the U.S. at a clear disadvantage.

Related: Europe embarrasses U.S. in World Cup opener

After shuffling Dustin Byfuglien between the blue line and the wing in the pre-tournament games, Tortorella removed him from the lineup entirely Saturday.

It was a bizarre call given Byfuglien's offensive skills - the Winnipeg Jets rearguard led all American defensemen in goals and points while ranking second in average ice time in the NHL last season - and particularly because of his imposing physical presence on the back end.

He's also considered elite by several other statistical standards.

This American squad was designed to get under the skin of opponents, and the U.S. braintrust passed on bringing several offensively gifted players in favor of grinders like Justin Abdelkader and Brandon Dubinsky.

That's why Byfuglien's absence in the opener was so odd, not to mention his durability, contributions on special teams and wealth of experience.

Kyle Palmieri was also a healthy scratch for Saturday's game, and despite being held pointless in a pair of pre-tournament contests, the New Jersey Devils forward and his 30-goal NHL output last season were undoubtedly missed.

The two scratches weren't the only questionable decisions made by the U.S. head coach. Tortorella tabbed Jonathan Quick as the No. 1 goaltender before the opener, despite having two superior netminders - Cory Schneider and Ben Bishop - at his disposal.

Quick allowed three goals on 17 shots, although two of the goals came on odd-man rushes. The Los Angeles Kings netminder shouldn't be blamed for the loss, but Tortorella needs to reconsider his plan for the crease and realize that both of his other options have outperformed Quick over the last couple of seasons.

Related: Devils' Schneider deserves to start for USA at World Cup

This was already a team that chose not to bring Phil Kessel, Tyler Johnson, Kevin Shattenkirk, or Bobby Ryan. Tortorella can't afford to get cute with the lineup or prioritize past success over present stability in the crease.

Considering the tournament format - only three games per team in the preliminary round with two teams advancing and two going home in each group - it was even more important to ice the best possible lineup and not take multiple risks.

A U.S. loss to Canada on Tuesday or to the Czech Republic on Thursday would likely eliminate the Americans from the competition.

The time to experiment was during the pre-tournament schedule, but this is the real deal now, and it could be over for John Tortorella and the United States before he admits and rectifies his mistakes.