By winning 11 of their last 12 games, the Columbus Blue Jackets have pulled to within four points of the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

And who do the Blue Jackets play Thursday in their return to action following the Olympic break? That’s right, the Bruins.

That hot play, which includes a seven-game winning streak, has pulled the Blue Jackets to within four points of the New York Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

And who do the Blue Jackets play on Saturday, their first home game since the lengthy break? You bet, the Islanders.

The Blue Jackets (29-20-7) have spent the past week practicing hard under coach Rick Bowness, getting their legs and lungs back into playing shape so that they’re ready to go — as much as possible, anyway — when the season resumes.

“The challenges are to get that competitive spirit back and get your reads down, the timing, the physical contact,” Bowness said. “In practice, you’re going to take a guy out of the play (with a routine check). In Boston (on Thursday), you’re going to get hit. That’s a big difference, and you have to get used to it again.

“The intensity that’s coming on Thursday, listen, these are playoff games for both teams. They (the Bruins) don’t have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. We’re trying to catch them. The intensity should be there.”

Bowness had intended to make substantive changes to the Blue Jackets’ systems, not just at even strength but on the power play and penalty kill. However, the way the Jackets played leading up to the break convinced Bowness to make small tweaks rather than attempt an overhaul.

There were intense skating drills in practice this week, but also time for the finer points. The Blue Jackets worked on their six-on-five play — how to both defend and play on offense when the goaltender is pulled — as well as three-on-three drills, because every single point the rest of the way is going to be crucial.

The Blue Jackets are as healthy as they’ve been all season. Actually, they’re as healthy as they’ve been at this point of the season in many years. It’s allowed Bowness to feel good about his depth and feel good about all four scoring lines.

Put another way: Boone Jenner, a captain and their first-line center just two seasons ago, is now centering the fourth line, although he’s picking up minutes via spot duty and special teams that give him playing time beyond a fourth-liner.

That’s an indication of the Blue Jackets’ playoff-worthy depth, but also a sign of how they have to play the rest of the way.

“For me, the biggest word for us right now is selflessness,” first-line center Adam Fantilli said. “It’s got to be everybody buying into the common goal of making the playoffs. Playoffs are all that matter, not our stats, not contracts, nothing like that.

“It’s all for the playoffs and it’s all for the team. When everybody commits to that, and we play our game, we’re going to get back to it right where we left off.”

It might be a bit ragged for both the Blue Jackets and Bruins tonight, and it could be for the Islanders game on Saturday as well. In the NHL, rust forms quickly.

However, as Bowness has stressed all week, the Blue Jackets aren’t the only club getting up to speed. The Bruins are in the same boat. For players coming back from the Olympics, like the Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski, moving past the glow of the gold medal will be the challenge.

The last week of practice has been a bit like training camp — Bowness has called it a minicamp — but with one key difference.

“The difference would be the intensity of the game you’re going into after this break,” Bowness said. “You go into a game after camp in October, they don’t have the same intensity that we’re going to see (on Thursday) and Saturday and every game after.

“Every game gets tougher from here on in. It will. We just have to be up for that challenge.”

The minicamp schedule was worth noting: Bowness skated them hard for two days, then gave them a day off. Two on, one off. That wasn’t just happenstance, either.

The Blue Jackets will play 26 games in 48 days to finish the season, including 17 games in 30 days in March. That’s intense, leaving almost no time for meaningful practice or extended rest.

It’s going to be a grind. The Blue Jackets have five back-to-backs the rest of the way. But only twice — March 15-16 and April 5-6 — do they have two days between games.

“It’s tough,” Blue Jackets center Charlie Coyle said. “But it’s almost nice, because you get into a rhythm. You’re going, going, going and you don’t get out of it. Everyone is in the same boat, so you roll with it.

“You just have to focus on recovery and focus on taking care of yourself and get rest.”