PITTSBURGH - Normally among the most active teams at the trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Penguins made only two deals Tuesday. Perhaps that's because general manager Craig Patrick was so busy beforehand trying to get the Penguins out of a two-month funk.

There's little doubt Pittsburgh (16-44-6-4) will finish in last place in the standings. And its trouble won't end with this season.

But the Penguins have rebounded from a NHL-record 14-game home losing streak and an 18-game winless streak that ties the team record set during the 1982-83 season.

With a 4-0 win over Dallas Tuesday, the Penguins have won three in a row for the first time this season and have won five of their last eight, starting with a Feb. 25 overtime win over Phoenix that ended the 18-game slide.

The turnaround has been helped by a series of trades since Feb. 11 when the Penguins sent defenseman Drake Berehowsky to Toronto for defenseman Ric Jackman. Eleven days later, Pittsburgh picked up forward Landon Wilson from Phoenix for future considerations. Just before the three-game win streak, Pittsburgh signed forward Jonathan Sim off waivers from Los Angeles.

All three have contributed to the late-season surge.

"Ever since I joined the team, it's been exciting hockey," Wilson said. "We beat Phoenix, my old team, in my first game and we ended the losing streak, but give credit to the guys that have been here plugging to get out of the big hole they were in."

In eight games with Pittsburgh, Wilson - a player known more for grit than touch - has two goals and three points.

Sim played sporadically for the Kings and hadn't scored a goal since Jan. 26 before beating Dallas goalie Marty Turco with what turned out to be the game winner in a 4-0 victory Tuesday against the Stars.

"Ever since I walked in it's been pretty upbeat and excited," Sim said. "Everyone's getting a chance to play and its pretty fun right now."

Jackman, though, may be the biggest surprise of all.

A sparsely used defenseman with the Maple Leafs, Dallas and Boston, he only scored three goals and 10 assists in 111 career games. In 13 games with the Penguins, Jackman already has five goals and seven assists.

"You can't do anything about the past, you can only do something today to make yourself a better hockey team and player," Wilson said. "I think they did what they had to do in here."