Anton Lundell scores in shootout to lift Panthers to 3-2 win over Sabres

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Anton Lundell scored the only goal of the shootout and the Florida Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Saturday night.

Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and an assist, and Jesse Puljujarvi also scored in regulation for Florida. Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves and stopped all three Buffalo attempts in the shootout.

After a five-game skid at the beginning of April, the Panthers have won three straight as they sit two points behind Tampa Bay for second place in the Atlantic Division.

Rasmus Dahlin and JJ Peterka had power-play goals for the Sabres. Peterka added an assist and extended his point streak to four games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 32 shots.

Sabres: Dahlin has 13 points in his last 11 games and has a goal in back-to-back outings, the third time this season he's scored in at least two consecutive games.

Panthers: Florida rested top scorers Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart as it tries to get as healthy as possible for the postseason. Sam Bennett (upper body), Matthew Tkachuk (lower-body) and Aaron Ekblad (suspended) remain out until the playoffs.

There was a brawl at center ice in the second period after what appeared to be a hard hit by Florida’s Jonah Gadjovich on Sabres center Jiri Kulich. Gadjovich was initially penalized, but it was rescinded after a review. Things were a bit chippy the rest of the game, with nine penalties given in the third and Dahlin set up Peterka for the tying goal with about eight minutes left in the third, just as a 5-on-3 power play was expiring.

Verhaeghe has a goal in each of his last two games. Before that, he had been held without a goal in 13 straight.

Sabres visit Tampa Bay on Sunday and Panthers will host the New York Rangers on Monday in the home finale.

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

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) stops a shot on goal by Florida Panthers center Jesper Boqvist (70) during overtime at an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Buffalo Sabres left wing Jason Zucker (17) and right wing Alex Tuch (89) celebrate a goal by right wing JJ Peterka during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff gestures during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (1) looks up at the replay of Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe's goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice talks to referee Michael Markovic (31) during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Buffalo Sabres left wing Zach Benson (9) goes after Florida Panthers left wing Jonah Gadjovich (12) after Gadjovich and Sabres center Jiri Kulich (20) collided during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen grabs a shot on goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Florida Panthers, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) stops a shot on goal by Buffalo Sabres left wing Zach Benson (9) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (26) aims to score a goal as Florida Panthers goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) is away from the net during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) scores a goal against Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram (4) passes the puck as Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) defends during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida Panthers center Carter Verhaeghe (23) celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

LONDON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the U.K. equalities law defines a woman as someone born biologically female.

Justice Patrick Hodge said five judges at the court had ruled unanimously that “the terms ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act refer to a biological woman.”

The ruling means that a transgender person with a certificate that recognizes them as female should not be considered a woman for equality purposes.

The case stems from a 2018 law passed by the Scottish Parliament stating that there should be a 50% female representation on the boards of Scottish public bodies. That law included transgender women in its definition of women.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

LONDON (AP) —

The U.K. Supreme Court is poised to rule Wednesday in a legal challenge focusing on the definition of a woman in a long-running dispute between a women’s rights group and the Scottish government.

Five judges at Britain's highest court are scheduled to rule whether a transgender person with a certificate that recognizes them as female can be regarded as a woman under equality laws.

While the case centers on Scottish law, the group bringing the challenge, For Women Scotland (FWS), has said its outcomes could have U.K.-wide consequences for sex-based rights as well as everyday single-sex services such as toilets and hospital wards.

The case stems from a 2018 law passed by the Scottish Parliament stating that there should be a 50% female representation on the boards of Scottish public bodies. That law included transgender women in its definition of women.

The women's rights group successfully challenged that law, arguing that its redefinition of “woman” went beyond parliament's powers.

Scottish officials then issued guidance stating that the definition of “woman” included a transgender woman with a gender recognition certificate.

FWS sought to overturn that.

“Not tying the definition of sex to its ordinary meaning means that public boards could conceivably comprise of 50% men, and 50% men with certificates, yet still lawfully meet the targets for female representation," the group’s director Trina Budge said.

The challenge was rejected by a court in 2022, but the group was granted permission last year to take its case to the Supreme Court.

Aidan O’Neill, a lawyer for FWS, told the Supreme Court judges — three men and two women — that under the Equality Act “sex” should refer to biological sex and as understood “in ordinary, everyday language.”

“Our position is your sex, whether you are a man or a woman or a girl or a boy is determined from conception in utero, even before one’s birth, by one’s body,” he said on Tuesday. "It is an expression of one’s bodily reality. It is an immutable biological state.”

The women's rights group counts among its supporters author J.K. Rowling, who reportedly donated tens of thousands of pounds to back its work. The “Harry Potter” writer has been vocal in arguing that the rights for trans women should not come at the expense of those who are born biologically female.

Opponents, including Amnesty International, said excluding transgender people from sex discrimination protections conflicts with human rights.

Amnesty submitted a brief in court saying it was concerned about the deterioration of the rights for trans people in the U.K. and abroad.

“A blanket policy of barring trans women from single-sex services is not a proportionate means to achieve a legitimate aim,” the human rights group said.

FILE - The entrance of the Supreme Court in London, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)