Marc-Andre Fleury makes 36 saves as the short-handed Wild beat the Sharks 3-1

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves, Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy scored, and the short-handed Minnesota Wild beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Saturday night.

The Wild, without leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov and several other key players, earned their fifth win in six games.

Rossi and Boldy each scored their 16th goal of the season to give the Wild a 2-0 lead in the second period. Mats Zuccarello assisted on both goals and added an empty-netter.

William Eklund cut the lead in half late in the second for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 18 saves.

Wild: Minnesota rebounded after a 6-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. The Wild were outshot 37-21 but were bailed out by the 40-year-old Fleury, who has won three straight starts.

Sharks: Have lost three straight, but the offense generated more scoring chances than in their 2-1 defeat Friday at Utah. Askarov continued to show promise as the Sharks’ goaltender of the future with several point-blank saves. … Will Smith, part of the team's young core, did not take a shift in the third period but remained on the bench.

With just over a minute to play, Declan Chisholm stripped Macklin Celebrini of the puck as the San Jose rookie was carrying it into the Wild zone. Zuccarello recovered it before scoring into an empty net as Askarov had just left the crease.

Fleury, in what was likely his last game at SAP Center, improved to 20-5-4 in his career against San Jose. He entered with a .939 career save percentage against the Sharks.

The Wild play at Vegas on Sunday, while the Sharks begin a five-game trip in Detroit on Tuesday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

San Jose Sharks defenseman Cody Ceci (4) skates with the puck against Minnesota Wild right wing Mats Zuccarello (36) during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund (72) reaches for the puck over Minnesota Wild defenseman Zach Bogosian (24) during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton, left, misses a shot against San Jose Sharks defenseman Jake Walman (96) and goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, back right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) cannot stop a goal scored by Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund, left, shoots against Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, second from right, during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton (5) celebrates with goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury (29) after an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy, right, is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury defends against a shot by the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)