During each NHL season, players who create game-saving, game-winning, or all-around amazing plays vary week to week. As an excellent way to track these players throughout their weekly shifts, I found (well, more like stole) a plan from the T.V. show Dance Moms.

If you are unfamiliar with the show, dance instructor Abby Lee Miller ranks the members of her dance team in a pyramid fashion, with the top being the best and the bottom being the worst. But since the NHL has hundreds of players, I can’t rank them all, so I modified the system; I will choose the top 10 players in the league and rank them based on their performance (best to worst) in four tiers. Tier one will have one player; Tier two will have two, and so on.

The way players can be featured in this article is the following. First of seven players will be featured in this article, one from each day(s) of the week game(s). The final three will be chosen based on their performance during the week’s games.

Please note that this is my first week doing this, and my formulas are still being worked on. Also, this is my opinion, so feel free to comment on who you would put on the pyramid or how you would rank the players.

Week of  1/9-1/15

On the bottom of the pyramid, we have…

Juuse Saros: on 1/9, Saros posted an incredible 38-save shutout and ended the week with a .934% save percentage. During his shutout, you can see the incredible saves he can make. Saros showed us how incredible the use of his butterfly could be; along with that, he made many sprawling saves that showcased his extreme athletic ability. Throughout the three games he played this week, he faced 106 shots (about 36.1 per 60 minutes) and created 99 saves.

Nicklas Backstrom: on 1/11, Backstrom posted his first point of the season in his third game back; now, this may not seem remarkable, but he has become the second NHL player ever to return from hip resurfacing surgery. This point came near the end of the third period (14:42) on T.J. Oshie’s 8th goal of the season, making the game 3-5, though. The Capitals ended up losing 6-3.

Mats Zuccarello: on 1/12, Zuccarello posted two assists, one on the game-tying and the other on the game-winning goal, his two helpers came at significant times in the game, helping lead the wild to a win. He also contributed defensively and created significant turnovers, including one that led to his first assist. He also helped the game by blocking two shots and one hit. He also contributed offensively with a Relative Corsi of 32.4, the third-highest during the game.

Artturi Lehkonen: on 1/14, Lehkonen posted two goals, one assist, and three hits. These came during the Avalanches ‘ goal shutout against the Ottowa senators. His goals took place during the second and third periods (09:05 and 08:18), and he showed us how he has some defense to his offense while still managing to have the second-highest overall Relative Corsi in the game.

On the second level of the pyramid, we have…

Andrew Mangiapane: on 1/10, Mangiapane and his various lines generated many chances during the game; he was one of the most productive players of the game, posting the highest Relative Corsi (the percentage of Corsi that a player contributes on the ice vs. the percentage of Corsi when off the ice) out of all the teams during the game (32.7), and racking up one assist and a goal after placing a beautiful wrist shot on Binnington’s glove side.

Sam Montembeault: on 1/15, Montembeault nearly shut out the Rangers in a 2-1 win with 38 crucial saves. He kept Montreal in the game with multiple sprawling saves and some unbelievable positioning; He stopped some guaranteed goals and was a pivotal piece in the win. The Canadiens have been struggling lately, but with him in the net, they may see themselves move up in the rankings.

Patrik Laine: 1/9-1/15, let’s face it, the Colombus Blue Jackets have been struggling, but Patrik Laine has been playing some excellent hockey; last week, he netted a hattrick and three assists, placing him third in team points. He has been one of the most reliable forwards for the Blue Jackets, and his skills are starting to pay off.

Our top two players of this week are…

Travis Konecny: 1/9-1/15; Konecny has done it all this week. He reached five points in three games, a hattrick, and two assists. His hatty incredibly consisted of even strength, powerplay, and a short-handed goal. He has a solid defensive game and definitely helps with the penalty kill. During his three games this week, he had a plus/minus of 4 and showed us his solid defensive game.

Jack Hughes: On 1/13, Hughes picked up two goals and a helper, including the game-winning goal against the Ducks. Hughes showed off his talents during this game and made some fantastic passes, dangles, and superior setups. Hughes has been on fire lately and is willing to show us how talented he is.

And on the top of the pyramid…

K’Andre Miller: 1/9-1/15; Miller did it all this week; he had the game-tying goal on 1/12 against the Dallas Stars that was recorded to be in the literal last second of the game. He kept the Rangers in the game enough to allow Fox to get the game-winning goal in overtime. In the other game the Rangers played this week, Miller got an assist on the lone Rangers goal while also posting the highest Relative Corsi out of all Rangers defencemen for the game (5.8). Miller also made outstanding offensive plays, generating breakaways and offensive zone pressure.

Here is the full chart…