COLUMBUS, Ohio — With three games remaining in the regular season, beginning on Saturday against the Blue Jackets, the Rangers are back in roster-management mode.

This time around, it’s not to ensure everything goes according to plan in acquiring the likes of Patrick Kane, which they succeeded in doing before the trade deadline.

Instead, it’s about making decisions that will keep the Rangers healthy and set the team up for optimal success in the playoffs.

“It gets a little weird this time of year,” Jimmy Vesey told The Post recently.

The Rangers were forced to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen Thursday, when Kane was sidelined for a second straight game with a lower-body injury.

Holding Kane out again was a “precaution,” according to head coach Gerard Gallant.

Kane did come on the road trip, however, so he could play Saturday.

As important as it is for the Rangers to avoid injuries, they also want to feel good about their game going into the postseason.

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“Yeah, but you want to play good, too,” Gallant said, when asked if the Rangers just want to get through the rest of the regular season after their 3-2 overtime loss Thursday to the Blues. “There were some signs [Thursday night], not enough, but there were some. We understand, as coaches, you try to push them as far as you can, but there wasn’t much in the tank.”

With the 11/7 alignment, Gallant rolled all seven defensemen relatively equally on Thursday.

Ben Harpur logged the fewest minutes with 10:30, while K’Andre Miller led with 20:10.

Ryan Lindgren, who is coming off an extended absence with a shoulder injury, was in the middle at 14:15.

The rest of the Rangers’ defensemen hovered between 18-19 minutes of ice time.

“Keep them fresh,” Gallant said.

Under their current cap situation, the Rangers aren’t able to make any regular recalls from AHL Hartford.

That has put them in an interesting position with the playoffs approaching.

They don’t have the same luxury as they did last season, when they were able to rest key players in the final few games.

If the Rangers want to give certain players a break, it will have to be one at a time.

Unless Kane’s injury keeps him out of the lineup for the remainder of the regular season, it’s possible a different player will be scratched in each of the next few games.

The Rangers will enter Saturday with 104 points, the eighth most in franchise history, while their 46 wins are tied for the 10th most. Their 54 points on the road also are the third most in team history.