
It's been a poor season for Winchester, the kind of season that makes you go "hey, Kevin Lowe was right, this guy really isn't very important", posting 3 points and 46 PIMs in 41 games. To put it differently, he had only 25% of his goals from the 2006-07 season, where he scored 4 as an offensive powerhouse for the Oilers.
Anyways, after a poor season and a playoff run where he's been a Black Ace the whole time, he's going to get another chance, against a team that he scored the biggest goal of his career against- the Red Wings.
Alert Dallas journalists noted that Winchester had taken the injured Stu Barnes' spot on the 4th line, and asked Tippet if he would play tonight.
Tippet: "Possibility. We're kicking around still a couple of things. But he's a good player that's got some experience against Detroit in the playoffs, and has looked very good in practice, so he's certainly an option for us."
When asked to elaborate on what he liked about Winchester, here's what Tippet replied: "He's a big guy, he can skate, goes to the net hard. We've been tinkering around a little bit. B.J. Crombeen is a young guy that's been in a little bit. And with Barnes being out, we just think if we're going to go that way, a little more experience there would be a good fit tonight."
No word on whether Winchester would be playing with Shawn Horcoff and Ryan Smyth.