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 Monday Night slate with three 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. This is the final week of the regular season. Expect some unexpected rest and sudden injuries that could derail some lineups. 

UPDATE:  Erik Karlsson will try to play tonight against Detroit. If warm-ups go well, he will be in the lineup. At 6:45 pm ET, it was indeed confirmed that Karlsson will play tonight. The question is what condition is Karlsson in? That answer will not be known until they play. However, some may pivot from Petr Mrazek to Frederik Andersen. Currently, we are staying with Mrazek because of the price and it is a three game slate. Good luck everyone! 

Toronto Maple Leafs @ Buffalo Sabres (Toronto -165 favorites) - 7:00 PM ET

Starting Goalies:  Frederik Andersen (TOR) [Confirmed] vs. Robin Lehner (BUF) [Confirmed]

Top Plays: Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel

Top Values: Morgan Rielly, William Nylander, Evander Kane, Sam Reinhart

At press time, Toronto was quite the favorite despite the human train wreck they are normally against the Buffalo Sabres..It just points to the fact that simply Frederik Andersen has to be that damn good in order for them to win. The penalty kill for Buffalo has improved some but still is an area for Toronto to focus on attacking. A power play stack is not out of the equation here. Toronto can still generate quite a number of chances. The key is other lines on the road need to step up besides the Matthews line.  

Buffalo did not play well against a demoralized New York Islanders team and maybe they were looking ahead to Toronto. Why? No one knows. The Sabres have won 11 of their last 13 home meetings against Toronto. That is something to consider and Toronto's penalty kill has been vulnerable. It is why one can stack parts of the power play. While it won't have all the same correlation, it can offer some price relief. Jack Eichel will be a heavy chalk play and how you surround him is vital tonight. 

Ottawa Senators @ Detroit Red Wings (EVEN) - 7:00 PM ET

Starting Goalies: Craig Anderson (OTT) [Confirmed] vs. Petr Mrazek (DET) [Confirmed]

Top Plays: Mike Hoffman, Henrik Zetterberg

Top Values: Kyle Turris, Mark Stone, Tomas Tatar, Mike Green

It will be wild to see how the Senators come out tonight considering they have looked ugly without Erik Karlsson in the lineup. Add Cody Ceci to the walking wounded and it is a surprise that this game is still even in the eyes of Las Vegas. Ottawa still has offensive firepower but who is going to rush the puck up the ice to it? That is the question. One-offs and possibly a mini stack of the top line is not a bad idea here. It is tough to know what to really expect on offense from Ottawa since they have been lackluster without their best player. Craig Anderson will have to play better as well. 

The same could be said for Detroit as defensively they can be a sieve but their goaltending has been good for the most part. It may be best to just pick and choose a player here and there but not a particular stack as Detroit outside of the top line is best described as having less upside. Detroit's second line could be the contrarian play to go with surprisingly enough as the Senators team defense is one of the worst when it comes to allowing shots and scoring chances.  

Montreal Canadiens @ Florida Panthers (MTL -135 favorites) – 7:30 PM ET

Starting Goalies: Charlie Lindgren (MTL) [Confirmed] vs. Reto Berra (FLA) [Confirmed]

Top Plays: Max Pacioretty, Jonathan Marchessault

Top Values: Phillip Danault, Andrei Markov, Keith Yandle, Jonathan Huberdeau

Montreal had been getting great goaltending from Carey Price of late and that has keyed their bounce back over the last dozen games or so. The record may not completely show that but improvements are noticeable. Naturally, Charlie Lindgren gets the start. He is a call-up from the AHL but has been avearage. Fortunately, Florida is 23rd in the league in offense at 2.51 goals per game. This is a game where Montreal's top six and offensive defensemen may have to steal this one.   

Florida looks lost and now does not have Aleksander Barkov. Both of their goaltenders are banged up and Reto Berra is just not an NHL goalie. Do note that Vincent Trochek is on the top line but will double shift down to the bottom six often. The fact that Jonathan Marchessault has nine goals in his last 12 games and still is on the third line is mind blowing. Yes, his defensive prowess is not all that great but Florida is determined to go with this third line at the expense of some curious choices in their top six. At least, Marchessault will draw depth match-ups. That is about the only good thing. Florida is a team one may have to mix and match some. Do not use conventional stacking here. 

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

BUF2: Jack Eichel-Sam Reinhart-Rasmus Ristolainen

TOR3: Auston Matthews-William Nylander-Morgan Rielly

MTL1: Max Pacioretty-Phillip Danault-Alexander Radulov-Alexei Markov

FLA3: Thomas Vanek-Jonathan Marchessault-Keith Yandle  

DET1: Tomas Tatar-Henrik Zetterberg-Mike Green

Goalie Rankings:

1. Robin Lehner (Confirmed)

2. Petr Mrazek (Confirmed)

3. Frederik Andersen (Confirmed)

4. Craig Anderson (Confirmed)

5. Charlie Lindgren (Confirmed)

6. Reto Berra (Confirmed)

The DraftKings example lineup and FanDuel optimal lineup was posted around 4 PM ET. If you have any questions, please let me know on Twitter @ChrisWasselDFS Good luck!