Players to target: Nick Cousins, Claude Giroux, and Wayne Simmonds

If you're looking for a reason to fade the Crosby line, their opponent on Wednesday can be a somewhat contrarian move.

Nick Cousins skated on the top line with Giroux and Simmonds this morning in place of the injured Jordan Weal. With Weal, Giroux and Simmonds posted 75.4 Corsi For per 60 minutes and 13.1 Scoring Chances For per 60 minutes. Cousins, like Weal, is a solid possession player (52.4 Individual Corsi For, 14 Individual Corsi For per 60 minutes) and should fit in nicely with Giroux and Simmonds.

A likely matchup with Evgeni Malkin's line doesn't seem appealing at first, but with Phil Kessel and Chris Kunitz as his linemates, Malkin's line is posting only a 48.3 Corsi For percentage and 59.9 Corsi Against per 60 minutes. In the previous meetings between the Flyers and Penguins this year, Philadelphia has taken 42 and 38 shots on goal, so it's fair to expect a high-paced game.

Giroux and Simmonds will also play on the first power play unit, giving them extra value against an average Penguins penalty kill (80.3 percent).