Oilers make changes for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Two consecutive losses to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final prompted the Edmonton Oilers to make a series of changes for Game 4 on Thursday night.

In at forward is Jeff Skinner, replacing Viktor Arvidsson, and on defense Troy Stecher took John Klingberg's place after some rough performances so far in the series.

“Felt that we could use the change, have those guys come in, give us a boost,” coach Kris Knoblauch said after his team's morning skate. “We’ve seen it throughout the playoffs where we’ve made alterations to our lineup and it’s benefited us.”

Skinner is playing just his third playoff game after playing an NHL-record 1,078 in the regular season before getting into the postseason. Fittingly, it came with Taylor Swift in attendance many years after Skinner memorably gave her a No. 53 Carolina Hurricanes jersey with his name on it.

Stecher, paired with Darnell Nurse, is also making his debut in the final after playing a handful of games earlier on this run when Mattias Ekholm was out injured.

“I play a simple and steady game," Stecher said. “I don’t do anything great, I don’t make a lot of mistakes, and I feel like they know what to expect out of me every night.”

Knoblauch also moved Connor Brown to Edmonton’s top line on the right side of center Connor McDavid and left wing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, with veteran Corey Perry getting bumped down to the fourth line.

“A guy that’s playing really well, skates well, good with the puck, confident guy that can play up and down your lineup," McDavid said. "Looking forward to it."

Stuart Skinner remains the Oilers’ starting goaltender after getting pulled from their Game 3 loss. Skinner allowed five goals on 23 shots but did not think he would lose the net to journeyman backup Calvin Pickard.

“I don’t really see too much reason to panic quite, quite yet,” Skinner said. “It’s a good opportunity for me to come back. Obviously we lost two in a row, and I’m good in these situations. I know how to bounce back.”

Nugent-Hopkins skated Thursday morning after not practicing earlier in the week because of an undisclosed injury. He said he was feeling good.

Florida is 5 of 17 on the power play, and it's not just the first unit coming through. The second power play with forwards Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues and defenseman Nate Schmidt running the point has been producing.

During this playoff run, that group has scored four times in just over 10 minutes of ice time.

“We’re building a lot of chemistry playing together,” Verhaeghe said. “We have so many great players on the unit. Both units have been pretty good. I mean, we just want to move the puck right and get pucks to the net.”

Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling turns 29 on Thursday. The smooth-skating Swede has quietly been one of the team's best players during these three consecutive trips to the final.

“Unbelievable player: He’s so fit, so strong, and he can skate like the wind and has such a good stick,” Verhaeghe said. “I wouldn’t want to play against him. He’s so good defensively and closes his gap so quick that he doesn’t allow you to have any space out there. You get the puck, your head is up, and he’s on you. He’s so elite at that. So good for our team.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse warms up during practice at the NHL Stanley Cup Finals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday, June 10, 2025.(Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl takes part in a drill during practice at the NHL Stanley Cup Finals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday, June 10, 2025.(Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner makes a save during practice at the NHL Stanley Cup Finals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday, June 10, 2025.(Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers forward Corey Perry take part in a drill during practice at the NHL Stanley Cup Finals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday, June 10, 2025.(Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. flu infections showed signs of a slight decline last week, but health officials say it is not clear that this severe flu season has peaked.

New government data posted Friday — for flu activity through last week — showed declines in medical office visits due to flu-like illness and in the number of states reporting high flu activity.

However, some measures show this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there is more suffering ahead.

“This is going to be a long, hard flu season,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, in a statement Friday.

One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that is the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 91% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.

The last flu season saw the highest overall flu hospitalization rate since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. And child flu deaths reached 289, the worst recorded for any U.S. flu season this century — including that H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic of 2009-2010.

So far this season, there have been at least 15 million flu illnesses and 180,000 hospitalizations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. It also estimates there have been 7,400 deaths, including the deaths of at least 17 children.

Last week, 44 states reported high flu activity, down slightly from the week before. However, flu deaths and hospitalizations rose.

Determining exactly how flu season is going can be particularly tricky around the holidays. Schools are closed, and many people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. Others may be more likely to go.

Also, some seasons see a surge in cases, then a decline, and then a second surge.

For years, federal health officials joined doctors' groups in recommending that everyone 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine. The shots may not prevent all symptoms but can prevent many infections from becoming severe, experts say.

But federal health officials on Monday announced they will no longer recommend flu vaccinations for U.S. children, saying it is a decision parents and patients should make in consultation with their doctors.

“I can’t begin to express how concerned we are about the future health of the children in this country, who already have been unnecessarily dying from the flu — a vaccine preventable disease,” said Michele Slafkosky, executive director of an advocacy organization called Families Fighting Flu.

“Now, with added confusion for parents and health care providers about childhood vaccines, I fear that flu seasons to come could be even more deadly for our youngest and most vulnerable," she said in a statement.

Flu is just one of a group of viruses that tend to strike more often in the winter. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, also have been rising in recent weeks — though were not diagnosed nearly as often as flu infections, according to other federal data.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Pharmacy manager Aylen Amestoy administers a patient with a seasonal flu vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy in Miami, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)