Columbus Blue Jackets at Philadelphia Flyers odds, picks and best bets

The Philadelphia Flyers host the Columbus Blue Jackets at Wells Fargo Center at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday. The two Metropolitan Division rivals are battling for Eastern Conference playoff position.

Elvis Merzlikins and Carter Hart are the projected starting goalies for the Blue Jackets and Flyers. MerZlikin is 0-2-1 in his last four games, whereas Hart is 12-8-6 with a .928 save percentage and 2.20 goals against average.

The Blue Jackets have lost five straight games. The Flyers are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and 19-5-4 on home ice. Columbus is 12-7-9 on the road. Philadelphia leads the season series 2-0. The teams play a home-and-home on Tuesday and Thursday. A $10 wager on Flyers to win would return a profit of $6.67.

Esten's NHL betting record is 235-224.