Boomer says the Eastern Conference Final is still far from over, but he called out multiple stars on the team that are not doing nearly enough to will the Blueshirts to the Stanley Cup, specifically Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin.
“Mika has to fight for the puck,” Boomer said, breaking down the play that led to Florida’s empty net goal in game five. “Instead, he gets a stick to the chest and tries to embellish an elbow to the chin…you hear the word ‘soft’ attached to hocket players. Nobody on the ice is soft, but compared to the team you’re playing against, you could be a softer player. You don’t want to go to the dirty areas of the ice.”
Meanwhile, Panarin continues to be a no show, and Boomer said it’s time to see the 50-goal scorer act like one.
“Panarin is completely missing in action,” Boomer said. “He said he was going to try to shoot more this season, and he did. Now all of a sudden, he’s trying to make the perfect passes.
“You’re supposed to be a guy that is scoring goals, and you’re not even taking shots.”