Here are gifts for NHL’s Western Conference playoff contenders

’Tis the season of giving, and as the NHL season nears the halfway point, there’s plenty of teams that could use help in their push for the playoffs.

Even the teams in line for postseason berths aren’t complete and could use assistance in their chase for the Stanley Cup. So in the spirit of the holidays, here’s a gift for all eight Western Conference teams in line to make the playoffs. All statistics are through Friday’s games.

1. Winnipeg Jets (48 points, first in Central Division): Warmer weather? The Jets, who have scored the most goals in the conference and are tied for the best goal differential, don’t need much. They’ve won six of their past seven games and are cruising in the Central Division.

2. Calgary Flames (47 points, first in Pacific Division): A goal for James Neal. The former Golden Knight hasn’t scored since Nov. 1, a span of 21 games. He has seven points in 35 games after signing a five-year, $28.75 million contract in the offseason.

3. Nashville Predators (46 points, second in Central): A lot of teams are wishing for health this holiday season, but the Predators could really use it. The team’s top three scorers from last season — forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg and defenseman P.K. Subban — are on injured reserve.

4. Colorado Avalanche (44 points, third in Central): A more cohesive penalty kill. The Avalanche have allowed 29 power-play goals, tied for the second-most in the league. It doesn’t help that they rank seventh in penalty minutes per game.

5. San Jose Sharks (43 points, second in Pacific): Bigger goalie pads for starter Martin Jones, who has saved only 89.8 percent of the shots he’s faced.

6. Anaheim Ducks (43 points, third in Pacific): A power play that’s actually plugged in. The Ducks are converting 14.7 percent of their power-play opportunities, the NHL’s seventh-worst rate.

7. Golden Knights (42 points, first wild card): A third game in which the stalwart trio of Max Pacioretty, Alex Tuch and Paul Stastny play. The team is counting on all three to contribute, but each has missed games with various injuries. Pacioretty is on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.

8. Edmonton Oilers (39 points, second wild card): A way to redo the beginning of the season. The Oilers are 9-4-2 since firing coach Todd McLellan and replacing him with Ken Hitchcock. Imagine where they would be if they made the move sooner.

Hope you enjoy the presents, guys. Just remember, there’s no regifting.

All dolled up

Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner traded their skates for ballet shoes Wednesday. The two threw on costumes and made cameos in the National Ballet of Canada’s production of “The Nutcracker” as Cannon Dolls.

Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner performing in The Nutcracker as Cannon Dolls pic.twitter.com/zbCAt2QvqL

— Maple Leafs Hotstove (@LeafsNews) December 20, 2018

“It was nerve-wracking going out there. You just go out there and let your emotions take over, but it was a lot of fun,” Matthews said of his minute-long appearance. “(It felt like) six hours. It felt like forever.”

Injury reports coming?

NHL agent Allan Walsh, whose client list includes Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, isn’t happy that there’s not a standard way to report injuries leaguewide. But now that the league has a sports betting partner in MGM Resorts, he thinks things might be different.

Absolutely. There needs to be a standardized way of releasing this beyond “lower body”. It’s ridiculous at this point. With NHL and teams making deals with betting sites, expect it to change. #AskWalsha https://t.co/wkeNsHYe3d

— Allan Walsh (@walsha) December 21, 2018