Florida Panthers "next man up" is real, five players are making a big impact.

It's almost comical how many regulars Florida is missing, and yet the team is still hanging around. The Panthers sit at 24-18-3 for 51 points, buried in the Atlantic but close enough to breathe on the wild-card line.

That's the real story right now, the structure stays intact and different guys keep stepping into the light. Some are obvious names, some are pure «do your job» players, but together they've kept this season from tilting.

As a fan, it's hard not to trust a team that keeps answering the bell like this, even when the lineup looks nothing like opening night.

Sam Reinhart is the cleanest example of «star doing star things» without forcing it. He's at 23 goals and 44 points, and he's also playing heavy minutes at 21:18 a night, which tells you the staff leans on him in every situation.

Sam Bennett sets the emotional temperature, and the room follows it. Florida didn't hand him eight years at $64 million for vibes, they paid for the playoff gear he lives in and the way he drags shifts into the hard areas.

Niko Mikkola doesn't get the headlines, but he keeps the blue line from wobbling when pairs get shuffled. He's sitting at a team-best +6, and his minutes spike when games get scrambly and the bench needs calm.

A.J. Greer has been the perfect «next man up» winger because his game translates anywhere in the lineup. On Monday in Buffalo, he scored twice in a 4-3 win, including the empty-netter that ended up feeling way too necessary.

Uvis Balinskis is the sneaky stabilizer, the guy who plays more than you notice and rarely panics with the puck. He's got seven points, and his biggest contribution might be that Florida can survive a shift change without holding its breath.

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