Top Plays and Best Goals in NHL for Week 3

USA TODAY Sports

Normally, NHL highlight videos are dominated by the exploits of the league's top players. Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Quick or Claude Giroux flash across your screen or flash the leather, wowing you with otherworldly skill or a bit of creative magic.

But not on this highlight video, folks. Here, we recognize the most impressive plays of the week regardless of the star power of the player pulling off the feats.

You want a sick glove save? Check. A beautiful string of passing finished by a precise shot? Check. A horse head?

Yeah, we've even got a horse head. Let's relive last week's best plays.

5. Thomas Vanek and His Buddies Get Creative

First of all, what a pass by Jason Pominville. That really made this goal, as Pominville found Vanek between the legs with an unselfish and brilliant pass.

But this goal gets some love because of the wonderful puck movement on the rush and Pominville's inventive pass. Nothing is more fun to watch than a perfectly orchestrated rush by unselfish teammates, with some fancy-pants style to boot.

4. Ales Hemsky Isn't Horsing Around

Let's be honest here—there are two reasons why this video found its way to the top of this week's highlights.

Yes, this was a brilliant move by Ales Hemsky to take a deflected puck, deke to the left in one motion and beat Roberto Luongo to score. 

But the real star of this highlight is Horse Head Guy. Frankly, he didn't get nearly enough air time. I don't know if that's an Edmonton Oilers joke I'm not privy to, but my goodness, that made me laugh.

Great goal. Great horse head. Great highlight.

3. Semyon Varlamov Visits the Glove Shack

This was such a beautiful save, it took a replay review to indeed confirm that the puck didn't cross the line. I'm sure Kyle Palmieri is still dreaming of that empty net he thought he was staring at, before Semyon Varlamov flashed some leather and absolutely robbed him.

Is there anything more fantastic than a beautiful glove save? 

2. Nikolai Khabibulin Pads His Stats

This video doesn't do full justice for just how splendid this Nikolai Khabibulin save was, so for an even closer look, I suggest going to the No. 1 highlight on this NHL.com video. That video has a second save that was pretty sick by the Edmonton Oilers goalie as well, so it's well worth a look.

But for all intents and purposes, this should have been a goal for Damien Brunner of the Detroit Red Wings, but Khabibulin said, "I don't think so!" in Russian. Or in English. Or he didn't actually say it at all. Whatever.

But my goodness, what a beautiful save.

1. Jason Demers Is at the Right Place at the Right Time

Andrew Cogliano thought he was about to score a goal. Thomas Greiss thought he was about to be scored upon. The announcer was readying his pipes for the goal call. The fans in Anaheim were about to go crazy.

And then, out of nowhere, flashed the stick of Jason Demers to save the day. Well, temporarily at least—the Ducks would go on to beat the San Jose Sharks, 2-1.

Demers could only be so many places at once, after all.