Oilers close in on playoff spot with 4-3 victory over the Blues

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor Brown scored twice, Connor McDavid had three assists in his return to the lineup and the injury-riddled Edmonton Oilers moved within a hair of wrapping up a playoff spot, beating the St. Louis Blues 4-3 on Wednesday night.

The Oilers would have clinched a postseason berth if the Calgary Flames lost in regulation rather than overtime in Anaheim.

Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson also scored to help the Oilers snap a two-game losing streak. Calvin Pickard made 23 saves.

Edmonton got its superstar captain back, but was missing eight other regular players, including NHL goals leader Leon Draisaitl, forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, top-pairing defenseman Mattias Ekholm and starting goalie Stuart Skinner.

Pavel Buchnevich had a goal and two assists, while Ryan Suter and Jordan Kyrou also scored for the Blues. They have lost two straight after winning 12 in a row. St. Louis is on the cusp of securing a playoff berth of its own.

Blues: Forward Robert Thomas had two assists to extend his points streak to 10 games (four goals, 18 assists).

Oilers: Arvidsson is starting to heat up at the right time. After scoring just 10 goals in his first 57 games as an Oilers this season, he has four goals in his last six games.

Shortly after Darnell Nurse made a diving stick check to hamper Nathan Walker on a breakaway, McDavid took the puck all the way behind the Blues’ net and sent a backhand pass out front to Brown, who scored his second of the game and 11th of the season with 21 seconds left.

McDavid became the seventh player in NHL history with at least five consecutive 65-assist seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (13), Bobby Orr (6), Guy Lafleur (6), Peter Stastny (6), Phil Esposito (5) and Adam Oates (5).

The Blues are at Seattle on Saturday night, then close the regular season at home against Utah on Tuesday night. The Oilers host San Jose on Friday night.

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St. Louis Blues' Jake Neighbours (63) and Edmonton Oilers' Corey Perry (90) fight during first period NHL action in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers players rough it up during first period NHL action in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues' Ryan Suter (22) scores on Edmonton Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard (30) during first period NHL action in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues' Justin Faulk (72) and Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) battle for the puck during the second period of an NHL game in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97), Vasily Podkolzin (92) and Corey Perry (90) celebrate a goal against the St. Louis Blues during the second period of an NHL game in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues' Tyler Tucker (75) blocks the pass as Ryan Suter (22) and Edmonton Oilers' Zach Hyman (18) battle for position the second period of an NHL game in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues' Jake Neighbours (63) and Edmonton Oilers' Viktor Arvidsson (33) collide during the third period of an NHL game in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington (50) looks on as Edmonton Oilers' Connor Brown (28) and Adam Henrique (19) celebrate a goal during the third period of an NHL game in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues' Brayden Schenn (10) jumps as Edmonton Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard (30) makes the save during the third period of an NHL game in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

St. Louis Blues' Jake Neighbours (63) gets shoved by Edmonton Oilers goalie Calvin Pickard (30) during the third period of an NHL game in Edmonton on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)

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)