When there are only three or four games, we will not put out the full DFS Playbook, but will do optimal lineups along with a breakdown of the slate. Tonight, we have the typical Wednesday Night slate with four games to consider. 

First off, a disclaimer. I highly recommend focusing on just GPPs on the shorter slate. I think there’s enough skill to play cash games, but there’s going to be way more variance than usual. 

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Detroit Red Wings (TOR -135 favorites) - 7:00 PM ET

Starting Goalies:  Frederik Andersen (TOR) [Likely] vs. Petr Mrazek (DET) [Possible]

Top Plays: Nazem Kadri, James van Riemsdyk

Top Values: Auston Matthews, Nikita Zaisev, Andreas Athanasiou, Henrik Zetterberg

At press time, Toronto has a lot more options as they are the rested team. Detroit does not have a great penalty kill and their power play is a mess at 11.4%. Expect to see stacks with the power play units and then maybe a line two or line three mini stack here. Nazem Kadri will be used as either a one-off or a series of Toronto one-offs. Frederik Andersen could be a nice goaltending play even on the road.   

Detroit is missing Thomas Vanek but does have the Greek spark plug known as Andreas Athanasiou

Philadelphia Flyers @ New York Rangers (NYR -140 favorites) - 8:00 PM ET

Starting Goalies: Steve Mason (PHI) [Possible] vs. Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) [Confirmed]

Top Plays: Claude Giroux, Derek Stepan

Top Values: Wayne Simmonds, Radko Gudas, Chris Kreider, Mika Zibanejad

It will be wild to see how the Flyers come out tonight considering they were a house of fire against the Islanders. They did have over 40 shots but the Rangers are a team which Philadelphia is very hit and miss against. Their power play is lethal and can score quickly with the first unit leading the way. Simple choices are going to be the best bets here but do watch Brayden Schenn as a wild card. He has nine points in his last ten games as he rovers on the power play and at times at even strength. 

The same could be said for New York as they can give up a lot of chances too. They allowed 38 shots to Los Angeles on Monday and escaped because of Lundqvist and a good bit of luck. This game could feature plenty of pace shifts as well. New York has a potent power play themselves and Philadelphia has a penalty kill around 79% on the road. Ryan McDonagh could be a beneficiary on the power play with his ability to get pucks to the net. If the Rangers play their transition game, then it's a question of which line to mini stack.   

Vancouver Canucks @ Colorado Avalanche (VAN -130 favorites) – 9:30 PM ET

Starting Goalies: Jacob Markstrom (VAN) [Confirmed] vs. Calvin Pickard (COL) [Confirmed]

Top Plays: Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Bo Horvat

Top Values: Gabriel Landeskog, Daniel Sedin, Troy Stecher

Vancouver is horrible away from home with just five wins in 22 games. They average just 2.23 goals on the road and allow 3.18. There is not a ton of value from this game but if the Sedin Twins are canceled out then it comes down to the Bo Horvat line and tertiary scoring. Uncertainty abounds as Vancouver has a power play below 14% and a penalty kill in the bottom third of the league. Goaltending may be what this game comes down to.   

Colorado has looked lost all year but especially at home. At least Matt Duchene does return from illness tonight but Tyson Barrie is now on the injured reserve. Their top two defensemen are out and they only have five wins in Colorado. It will likely mean the top six has to score and often. Their differential is the worst in the league at -1.57 goals per game. Stacks may just be mini-stacks or one-offs. 

Edmonton Oilers @ Anaheim Ducks (ANA -135 favorites) – 10:00 PM ET

Starting Goalies: Cam Talbot (EDM) [Possible] vs. John Gibson (ANA) [Possible]

Top Plays: Connor McDavid, Ryan Kesler

Top Values: Oscar Klefbom, Leon Draisaitl, Cam Fowler, Rickard Rakell

Edmonton is better away from home with just 13 wins in 25 games. They average 3.2 goals on the road and allow 2.84. There is value from this game but it all comes down to how the Ryan Kesler line slows down the Connor McDavid line. If they cannot, that is a possible mini stack along with the first power play unit. Shots from the point will be vital also. That is where Klefbom and maybe Andrej Sekera come in.    

Anaheim has been mostly excellent at home. Injuries make them a concern tonight, however. John Gibson should play but keep an eye on confirmations just to make sure. The key will be to watch for lines and then try to pivot up towards the first line or power play units for stacks or one-offs. Edmonton will allow goals and at the least chances. Cam Fowler could be a real wild-card along with Corey Perry

Stacks To Consider (Ranked From Most To Least Confident):

NYR1: Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello-Ryan McDonagh

EDM1: Patrick Maroon-Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl (possibly Oscar Klefbom)

PHI2: Travis Konecny-Brayden Schenn-Wayne Simmonds

COL2: Gabriel Landeskog-Matt Duchene-Francois Beauchemin (Watch for line shifts.) 

TOR1: James van Riemsdyk-Tyler Bozak-Mitchell Marner (Watch line 2 and 3 for one-offs)

 

Goalie Rankings:

1. Henrik Lundqvist (Confirmed)

2. John Gibson (Possible -- If He Plays)

3. Frederik Andersen (Likely)

4. Jacob Markstrom (Confirmed)

5. Calvin Pickard (Confirmed)

6. Cam Talbot (Possible - If He Plays)

7, Steve Mason and Petr Mrazek are less certain at this time. 

The DraftKings example lineup and FanDuel optimal lineup was posted around 2 PM ET. If you have any questions, please let me know on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS Good luck! All updates will be done via Twitter.