I fully agree that coaches at most levels of hockey loathe that Jensen to Kuzy pass. But these are the best players in the world and there's a lot of open space there. I've seen the Caps and other teams make that play lots of times in order to get a (relatively) easy clear. It's one of the things that is cool about the NHL - these guys are so good that you can dispense with some of the coaching orthodoxies stringently applied at other levels.
Also, if that play is such an unequivocal no-go at all times, then WTF is Kuzy doing presenting himself to Jensen in that manner. He's not just down there being responsible C in front of the net in a 2-1 game in the 3rd where we're trying to tie it up.
I suspect the Caps coaching staff may even prioritize getting the puck onto Kuzy's stick when he's open to start a transition, even if he's open in a dangerous area - because most of the time they execute that play and he's one of your best hands, highest skilled players most able to pull that kind of thing off. To me, Kuzy was asking for that puck, and needed to make a better, more possessive play than immediately trying to half-ass pass it to his wing without actually gathering it onto his stick.
And the failure to pull of that play and have it end up in the back of our net is a little microcosm of the disconnectedness that has plagued the Caps since the new year began. And with each game the discombobulation seems to grow and the collective confidence seems to shrink. It's a cycle of suck - hope Ovi's return can pull them out of it
