Nino Niederreiter has taken a bit of a tour around the NHL’s Central Division, from Minnesota to Nashville to Winnipeg, so few know better just how deep it is.

The Dallas Stars are coming off a trip to the Western Conference Final, Colorado could get captain Gabriel Landeskog back after a two-year absence, Nashville loaded up by signing Steven Stamkos and others, St. Louis is back in the mix and Utah should be much-improved after relocating from Arizona. Only a maximum of five can make the playoffs.

“I feel like it’s back to a powerhouse,” Niederreiter said of the Central. “You have four or five teams that are going to play for the playoff spots, and I think it’s going to be very difficult.”

The Stars go in as the slight favorite after reaching the third round and pushing eventual West champion Edmonton to six games. Outside of the Oilers in the Pacific, Dallas is among the likeliest teams to get out of the conference and reach the final next spring, especially after making a long run.

“We learned just how hard it is to win,” young forward Wyatt Johnston said. “You always hear and everyone always talks about it. But you really learn once you get there how hard it is to win. It’s not easy to win even one playoff game, and you’ve got to win 16 of them to win the Stanley Cup.”

The Avalanche won the Cup three years ago, and hoisting it was the last thing Landeskog did on the ice in the NHL. Add him back to a group led by reigning MVP Nathan MacKinnon and elite defenseman Cale Makar, and Colorado looks poised to be among the league’s best once again.

Then there are the Predators, who added Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei in free agency and signed goaltender Juuse Saros to a long-term extension. Saros and his teammates know it is time to make it count.

“You’ve got to work and be humble to get all the pieces working together because it is a hard league to win,” Saros said. “But obviously the expectations are there, for sure.”

On the rise

The Blues pulled off the biggest surprise of the summer, signing Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg of the Oilers to offer sheets that Edmonton opted not to match. Five years since winning the first title in franchise history and after going through a bit of a reset on the fly, St. Louis is back as a clear contender.

“(General manager Doug Armstrong has) been pretty open and honest with everyone about our team the last couple years and being in a retool,” forward Robert Thomas said. “We’re in a time to push right now. The retool’s over, we’re ready to go and I’m excited to kind of show everyone what we’ve built in St. Louis.”

The Utah Hockey Club also made some splashes, acquiring two-time Cup-winning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev from Tampa Bay at the draft among a series of moves by GM Bill Armstrong. There is also the excitement of the team formerly known as the Coyotes getting a fresh start in Salt Lake City, much like an expansion team but with tons of young talent already in place.

“It’s a great experience to be part of something brand new, a new team, because that doesn’t happen often,” goaltender Karel Vejmelka said. “It’s kind of unique, and I’m pretty excited about it.”

On the decline

Someone has to miss the playoffs other than Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks, who are likely at least a couple of years away from making that leap.

Minnesota might be on the wrong end of that in the final year of salary cap calamity. Buyouts of the albatross contracts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter in 2021 will help the Wild immensely down the road, but they combine to count almost $15 million this season, which will hamstring GM Bill Guerin in what’s expected to be the final season for well-respected veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

On the hot seat

If Utah does not make a marked improvement, Andre Tourigny could be among the first coaches fired. Tourigny was brought in a few years ago to teach a young team good habits, and he has done that well, but an experienced hand at the wheel might be needed to take the next step for a franchise eager for a good start for their new fans.

Predicted order of finish

Dallas, Colorado, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg, Utah, Minnesota, Chicago.

Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.

The Miami Dolphins’ struggles continued Monday night when they dropped their third consecutive game, losing 31-12 against the Tennessee Titans at Hard Rock Stadium.

The Dolphins lost in prime time for a fifth consecutive time dating back to last season, a streak that included another loss against the Tennessee Titans last December.

The loss dropped the Dolphins record to 1-3.

We examined the five biggest storylines ahead of this Week 4 matchup, so it’s time to revisit them to see how they played out.

Before the game: The Dolphins will have a third different starting quarterback in three weeks, with Tyler “Snoop” Huntley getting his shot after Tua Tagovailoa and Skylar Thompson began Weeks 2 and 3. The hope is that Huntley’s experience from his time with the Baltimore Ravens can make a difference, along with his scrambling ability, something the Dolphins haven’t had at the position in quite a long time.

During the game: As was the case with Thompson against Seattle, Huntley didn’t play particularly well and he also didn’t get a lot of help from his teammates. Huntley missed a couple of throws he needed to make, mostly to Tyreek Hill, and he also wasn’t helped by drops by Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The passing numbers were very forgettable, but Huntley did lead the team in rushing with 40 yards.

Before the game: It will be a challenge for the Dolphins offensive line without starting left tackle Terron Armstead, who will be replaced in the starting lineup by either veteran Kendall Lamm or rookie second-round pick Patrick Paul for what would be his first NFL start.

During the game: It indeed was Patrick Paul who started at left tackle in place of Armstead for his first NFL start, and it was another rough outing for this group. De’Von Achane and Jaylen Wright combined to rush for 47 yards on 19 carries, a paltry 2.5 average. And we don’t need to mention the short-yardage issues.

Before the game: Second-year Titans quarterback Will Levis has really struggled so far this season, leading the NFL in turnovers through three weeks. Still, the Dolphins saw the good Will Levis when Tennessee came to Hard Rock Stadium for that forgettable Monday night matchup last December. Levis passed for 327 yards that night, 65 more yards than his next-highest total as an NFL quarterback. Levis, of course, engineered two late touchdown drives to help the Titans complete their stunning comeback from a 27-13 deficit.

During the game: As it turned out, Levis became a non-factor because of a shoulder injury, but only after gifting the Dolphins a turnover when he threw the ball right at Emmanuel Ogbah after he dropped into coverage off a zone blitz. When Mason Rudolph entered the game, he basically was asked to simply not turn the ball over, a sound strategy considering the struggles of the Dolphins offense.

Before the game: Levis’s favorite target on that December 2023 night was, not surprisingly, star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who had seven catches for 124 yards, the touchdown that brought Tennessee to within six points, and the longest play of the game-winning drive, a 36-yard pick-up on the very first play. The Dolphins defense can’t let Hopkins get loose like this again, and this is where Jalen Ramsey can and wants to step in. Remember the frustration last year with DC Vic Fangio and his refusal to let Ramsey shadow a wide receiver? Well, that’s been expected to change in 2024 with new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and we saw a little bit of that last week when Ramsey was sometimes matched up against DK Metcalf. We’d expect Ramsey to get assigned to guard Hopkins on more snaps than not in this game, and it’ll be a battle to watch.

During the game: Because of the circumstances of the game, the Titans weren’t interested in throwing very much, which made Hopkins pretty much a non-factor. He caught only two passes for 31 yards, though he also drew a DPI against Kader Kohou in a third-down situation in the third quarter. As it turned out, the Dolphins didn’t really have Ramsey shadow Hopkins, but it was a non-factor in this game.

Before the game: A big talking point around the Dolphins and their offense during training camp concerned what new tight end Jonnu Smith could bring to the position, given his athletic ability and yards-after-catch prowess. Three games into the season, we’re still waiting for Smith to have some impact, and this would be a great time to start, considering he’ll be facing the team with which he began his NFL career in 2017. Smith is one of five former Tennessee players on the Dolphins roster, along with starting center Aaron Brewer, starting linebacker David Long, Jr., tackle Kendall Lamm, and defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand.

During the game: And … we’re still waiting. It was another uneventful game for Smith, who didn’t catch a pass and was targeted only once. Given the issues on offense right now, it’s kind of curious as to why the Dolphins aren’t getting Smith — or any tight end, really — more involved in the passing game. It’s also not like the tight ends are doing great work in run blocking or pass protection, either. It wasn’t a much better evening for Brewer or Hand, while Lamm was limited to special teams and Long couldn’t play because of his hamstring injury.

ATLANTA – Atlanta police responded to a report of a shooting near the intersection of Forsyth and Brotherton streets in south downtown Atlanta around 11:15 p.m. Sept. 30. 

Upon arriving at the scene, officers found a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim, who was alert and conscious, was transported to the hospital for treatment, according to Atlanta police.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the man was shot while witnessing a gunfight between two groups. According to the victim, he had gone to retrieve his firearm from his vehicle to engage in the gunfight when he realized he had been struck by a bullet.

Atlanta police did not say if any arrests have been made in the case. It is still an active investigation.