By way of the Gregorian calendar, it was less than five months ago that Casey DeSmith opened the season with a personal four-game losing streak and bloated goals-against average.

But to DeSmith, late-October through mid-November 2021 feels like a lot longer ago than that.

“It’s ancient history,” the goalie said after Pittsburgh Penguins practice Friday. “I haven’t thought about those first four games for a while. So that’s nice.”

To the Penguins, DeSmith’s 0-3-1 stretch that featured a 4.32 GAA and .867 save percentage to open the season must seem as if it’s prehistoric times, too.

It had better, because the Penguins have no choice but to turn to DeSmith, at least for a period of undetermined length. All-Star starter Tristan Jarry will not play in Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. game at the Boston Bruins because of a lower-body injury.

While an ailment afflicting the starting goalie two weeks before the playoffs is less than ideal, DeSmith’s strong play in recent weeks makes it much easier to stomach in the short term for the Penguins.

“His game has really evolved over the course of the season,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry. “I think since the turn of the calendar year he’s played really solid hockey for us and given us a chance to win each and every night.

“He’s a real good goalie, and we have the utmost confidence in him.”

Though he likely would never admit it, Sullivan appeared to lose some confidence in DeSmith earlier this season. Jarry ranks tied for fifth in the NHL in games played (58) and fourth in shots faced (1,711). At one point, DeSmith made just three starts between Jan. 2 and Jan. 28 — and he was pulled from two of them.

There was plenty of talk from the outside that general manager Ron Hextall, a former goalie, would be compelled to make a trade for a DeSmith replacement to instead serve as Jarry’s backup.

That never happened, and DeSmith rewarded that tacit show of confidence in him. Though the Penguins lost his most recent start Tuesday in a shootout at the New York Islanders, before that DeSmith gone 3-1-2 with a 2.52 GAA and .922 save percentage over his prior eight games (six starts).

“He’s been playing great, and we have a ton of confidence in him,” Penguins forward Danton Heinen said. “I know lately he’s been good for us. But even in practice, we shoot on him a lot, and he’s not easy to score on. We have a ton of confidence in both our (goalies).”

Among players on the current roster, the 30-year-old DeSmith is one of the longest-tenured members of the organization in terms of experience with the Penguins. Only seven players remain from when DeSmith made his NHL debut Oct. 29, 2017.

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Jarry was being evaluated Friday, a day after Islanders forward Anders Lee tripped and slid into Jarry’s right leg midway through the third period of Thursday’s Penguins win. Though the Penguins did not say when Jarry suffered his injury, he flexed his right leg for a little while after that incident, albeit he completed the game.

If DeSmith starts Saturday, it will be his 77th start and 92nd game for the Penguins. He has gone 40-26-11 with eight shutouts, a 2.69 GAA and .914 save percentage over 77 starts and 91 games in the NHL.

DeSmith has not, of course, been immune to slumps over that time. But like any good goalie, DeSmith has learned how to bounce back. He rebounded, for example, from the 0-3-1 start by going 3-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .933 save percentage in his next three outings.

He bounced back from the aforementioned forgetful January by going 5-1-2 with a 2.40 GAA and .921 save percentage in his next 10 games.

“At the time (of the four-game losing streak to start the season), obviously, it’s tough to deal with,” DeSmith said. “I hate losing. As does everyone.

“But I was happy to, obviously, to get back on the right foot there and win some games and start building the confidence back.”

Note: The Penguins on Friday recalled goalie Louis Domingue from their AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and he is expected to serve as DeSmith’s backup during Saturday’s game. Domingue, 29, is 10-9-2 with a .924 save percentage and 2.41 goals-against average in the AHL this season. He stopped 40 of 41 shots in his only appearance for the Penguins, a 2-1 overtime win over San Jose on Jan. 15. With the Penguins within five figures of the NHL’s salary cap, Domingue’s recall was on an emergency basis.

Keep up with the Pittsburgh Penguins all season long.

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