DALLAS — The Pittsburgh Penguins are going through the Big D and return to practice Saturday after a day off Friday. General manager Kyle Dubas made a minor move that could open more moves when the Penguins return home. We also had a simply but very deep question for the Penguins locker room.

Elsewhere in the Daily, it seems the New Jersey Devils are considering a risky trade to bolster their offense. Why are so many games going to overtime? And Blake Coleman is drawing interest on the trade block from a few teams, but especially the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Day 1 in Dallas wasn’t bad. Of course, as I tried to take a moment, the Penguins made news. Fortunately, Shelly Anderson was on it (thanks, Shells!). I spent a couple of hours at Dealey Plaza and the School Book Depository museum.

And last night, I broke a cardinal rule of traveling.

Rule: If a restaurant is empty, don’t eat there. If the locals don’t like it, you won’t either. I’m staying at a small suites hotel about 10 miles outside of downtown on the light rail line, which goes straight to the airport and arena, so I’ve saved a nice chunk of money here. Oddly, the restaurants within a mile are mostly South Asian–Tibetan, Himalayan, and Indian. That’s no problem for me, I LOVE Himalayan food (it’s like Indian food but with herbs instead of spices), but I just wasn’t feeling it last night.

So, I went to a large BBQ joint. It was huge, probably seated 150 people, but I had dinner alone at 7:45 p.m. I’m not kidding, I was alone in that large place. The TVs were off. The ice cream machine was dusty and obviously had not been in service for quite a while. It was perfectly forgettable food except for “The Shining” vibes. All pork and no beef makes Jack a dull boy. But afterward, I discovered that Jack in the Box has a Gremlins milkshake, called the Midnight Shake. It’s a Vanilla shake mixed with separated layers of M&M’s, pretzel pieces, mini marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbles on top.

I’m going back for another tonight. And tomorrow night. Silver linings to a bland dinner, I suppose.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins returned Joona Koppanen to WBS on Friday, and the transaction opened some room on the Penguins’ roster.

PHN+: We’ve taken a little bit of a hit on subscribers, and I hear you loud and clear. The technical situation has to improve soon. One of the things we’re doing for subscribers is the weekly Penguins Insider column. I had a simple question this week, but it was far more complex to answer than to ask. Are they having fun? Here’s the Penguins Insider.

And in case you missed our scoop during the game Thursday, a source tells PHN that the Penguins sale is still on.

WBS Penguins: Last night’s recap and another steamrolling win with help from the top prospects over Lehigh Valley for the Penguins.

NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now

New Jersey Hockey Now: It could absolutely blow up in their face and go horribly wrong, or it could be the missing piece to Stanley Cup glory. James Nichols not only reports on the talk but also the riskiness of the latest Devils’ trade chatter.

ESPN: Greg Wyshinski talked to coaches, players, and execs to get to the bottom of why there are so many games going to OT this year.

San Jose Hockey Now: The Penguins’ Sunday opponent looked pretty good last night. Sheng Peng and I crossed paths, as the Dallas Stars, even without Tyler Seguin, but a hurtin’ on the San Jose Sharks.

RG.Org: Blake Coleman isn’t necessarily on the NHL trade market–the reports have indicated Calgary really wants to keep him around, but Jimmy Murphy reports that Toronto and a few others remain interested.

Florida Hockey Now: It’s been a bruising year for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champs. Yet, they have had third period leads but are still racking up some losses. George Richards dives in–so what gives with the Florida Panthers?

Detroit Hockey Now: It’s a similar story in the Motor City, but without the previous success. Bob Duff has been really dissecting the team for a couple of weeks, and here’s what’s wrong with the Detroit Red Wings.

Forever Blueshirts: The Penguins kicked tires on Detroit Red Wings (demoted) defenseman Erik Gustafsson, to no avail, but now it seems the Adam Fox injury has caused the New York Rangers to make some calls, too.

TSN: Nope. After some circulating chatter that the LA Kings might make some changes behind the bench, general manager Ken Holland flatly denied those rumors.

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