PHILADELPHIA -- Flyers coach Peter Laviolette doesn't know much about his new goaltender, but said he's excited to learn about what he has now in Steve Mason.

The Flyers acquired Mason earlier Wednesday from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for goaltender Michael Leighton and a third-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft.

"He's a young goaltender that's had some success in the League," Laviolette said. "I'm sure he's looking to get here and get going with us. Fresh start for him. We're excited. He's a big goaltender that's had a lot of success in the League."

Mason said he planned to arrive in Philadelphia sometime Wednesday evening and hopefully meet the team after its game against the Montreal Canadiens, then fly with the club to Toronto for its game against the Maple Leafs on Thursday.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Montreal Canadiens certainly have missed defenseman Raphael Diaz, who hasn't played Feb. 25 due to a concussion. The team did find a bright side, using Diaz's absence as an opportunity to see how some of the organization's younger players could handle NHL pressure.

However, the stretch run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs means it's time to get serious, and the Canadiens did that Tuesday by trading for defenseman Davis Drewiske from the Los Angeles Kings.

Drewiske, 28, had four points and a plus-3 rating in 20 games with the Kings this season, his fifth in Los Angeles.

However, he had played twice in March, and said the best thing about leaving the Stanley Cup champions will be the opportunity play more often. And with Diaz just now skating for the first time since his injury Wednesday at the team's practice rink in Brossard, Quebec, Drewiske could get lots of playing time.

"You get to play games, that's a positive," he told NHL.com. "You make the most of the opportunity."

VOORHEES, N.J. -- The Philadelphia Flyers have a chance to do something Wednesday when they face the Montreal Canadiens (7:30 p.m. ET, TSN) that they have yet to do this season: win their third straight game.

However, entering the game 13th in the Eastern Conference and six points out of a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 13 games to go, the Flyers know they need a lot more than three wins.

"All games are huge for us and we have to put ourselves in a situation to play a good hockey game and put ourselves in position to try to get the two points at the end of the night," forward Simon Gagne said. "Sure we won the last two games and it would be nice to get three in a row [but] it doesn't matter what happened in the past. We have to focus on the game [Wednesday] and win this one. All points are going to be key for us right to the end of the season."

Leading up to the April 3 Trade Deadline, NHL.com will profile the players who are likely to be discussed and examine reasons for teams to keep him or move him.

Each profile can be found here:

Adrian Aucoin, Blue Jackets (Profile)

Brad Boyes,  Islanders (Profile)

Dan Boyle, Sharks (Profile)

Mike Cammalleri, Flames (Profile)

Click here for more.

One of the surprise teams of the 2012-13 NHL season has been the Montreal Canadiens, who head into their game Saturday at the New Jersey Devils (7 p.m. ET, NHLN-US, CBC) leading the Eastern Conference standings.

It's a long way from last season, when the Canadiens finished 15th in the conference; entering this season they weren't predicted to finish much higher.

As the April 3 NHL trade deadline approaches, the decisions only get tougher for Canadiens first-year general manager Marc Bergevin. Does he stay with the team that's gotten the Canadiens this far? Or does he look to add pieces for a Stanley Cup Playoffs run?

"I think it's a constant revisiting of how you can improve your team on a daily basis," Canadiens assistant GM Larry Carriere told NHL.com. "That's something we started when Marc came in and it's something we do every day."

PHILADELPHIA -- The New Jersey Devils heard all the talk earlier in the week about how the Philadelphia Flyers were approaching the teams' home-and-home set as if they were the Flyers' biggest games of the season.

After a 5-2 win Wednesday at Prudential Center, the Devils go into the rematch Friday at Wells Fargo Center (7 p.m. ET, NHLN-US) with a chance to give themselves an eight-point lead on the Flyers, as well as continue to lock in their spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

"We want to try to bury the teams below us as quickly as possible," Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. "Doesn't matter whether it's Philadelphia or Florida or anybody else -- you get an opportunity to separate yourself from the teams below you, you want to take full advantage of that. It's all about getting points right now. It's not necessarily about the opponent; it's about putting points on the board and trying to solidify a spot in the top eight."

VOORHEES, N.J. -- After a day of meetings and a light morning skate Friday, can the Philadelphia Flyers get into the right mindset heading into their game against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night (7 p.m. ET, NHLN-US)?

"I hope so," defenseman Kimmo Timonen said. "What else could it be? If it's not in the right place, in the right spot, then we're not doing the right things. Looks like we're focused. We had a lot of meetings [Thursday], so hopefully it's in the right place."

The Flyers enter the game with losses in four of their past five, including a 5-2 defeat Wednesday at the Devils, and they enter the game Friday 11th in the Eastern Conference, five points out of a Stanley Cup Playoff spot with 20 games left in the regular season.

As the April 3 NHL Trade Deadline approaches, one of the more interesting names to watch is Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla. Iginla is due to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and while he's become the face of the franchise in his 18 years with the Flames, the Calgary Sun reported Saturday that there has been no talk of a new deal between the Flames and Iginla.

Iginla's agent, Don Meehan, told the Sun that Iginla is "not currently in negotiations" with the Flames. The newspaper also reported that Iginla has not instructed Meehan on whether to resume talks on a new contract with the team or to request a trade.

The decision facing the Flames is a tough one. Entering games Tuesday, the Flames are 15th in the Western Conference, but just six points out of eighth place.

Iginla is tied for the team lead with 12 assists and 19 points, and is third with seven goals, showing his offensive skills remain strong at age 35. If the Flames have any hopes of returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2008, Iginla will be a major part of getting him there.

He also is someone the Flames could use as a trade chip to reinvigorate their prospect pipeline. Any team with hopes for a Stanley Cup surely would do its best to put together a package of prospects and draft picks that intrigues the Flames.

The third option, allowing Iginla to go into the offseason without a new contract and potentially sign elsewhere with no return for the Flames, is highly undesirable.

So with three weeks until the trade deadline, eyes will continue to be focused on Iginla and how the Flames opt to handle his future.

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK

PHILADELPHIA -- The Buffalo Sabres activated defenseman Jordan Leopold from injured reserve and he will be in the lineup Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2).

Leopold had missed nine games with an upper-body injury. Interim coach Ron Rolston had said following the morning skate he was looking forward to having Leopold in the lineup for the first time since he replaced Lindy Ruff behind the Sabres' bench. Leopold was injured in practice the same day Ruff was fired.

"It'll be good back there," Rolston said of Leopold. "He's a good puck-mover, and that's what we've been emphasizing form our defense corps. He'll be one of those guys that can get us out of our zone. … He can be a player that can really be a difference-maker back there on the blue line."

To make room on the roster, the Sabres announced defenseman Adam Pardy had been sent to Rochester of the American Hockey League. Pardy had one assist, a plus-2 rating and 10 penalty minutes in five games this season. He had been a healthy scratch the previous two games.

Here is what the Sabres' lineup could look like:

Thomas Vanek - Cody Hodgson - Jason Pominville

Marcus Foligno - Kevin Porter - Brian Flynn

Steve Ott - Tyler Ennis - Nathan Gerbe

John Scott - Jochen Hecht - Drew Stafford

Robyn Regehr - Jordan Leopold

Christian Ehrhoff - Tyler Myers

Mike Weber - TJ Brennan

Ryan Miller

Jhonas Enroth

Scratched: Mikhail Grigorenko

Suspended: Patrick Kaleta

Injured: Andrej Sekera (upper body), Ville Leino (hip)

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK

PHILADELPHIA -- Flyers coach Peter Laviolette has opted to start Ilya Bryzgalov for a League-high 25th time Sunday when his team faces the Buffalo Sabres (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN2).

Bryzgalov gave up three goals in a 2:18 span midway through the first period Saturday in a 3-0 loss at Boston, and he has allowed 11 goals on 64 shots in his previous three games, a save percentage of just .828. His 1,349:58 of ice time is three seconds less than Nashville's Pekka Rinne for the League lead; he's faced the third-most shots (621) and made the fourth-most saves (558).

Even with a three-day break coming up, as well as the recall of goalie Michael Leighton from Adirondack of the American Hockey League, Laviolette said he believes Bryzgalov is the best option to help the Flyers snap their three-game losing streak.

"I think you go through everything, you roll though all your options of personnel that's available to you," Laviolette said. "I think just coming off [Saturday], Bryz is a guy that needs to be in there and we need to get a win. Our group needs to dig out of this. Not to put him in there and give him that opportunity doesn't seem right."

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK