Connor stars as Jets clinch Central Division title with shootout victory over Blackhawks

CHICAGO (AP) — Kyle Connor and Cole Perfetti scored in the shootout, and the Winnipeg Jets clinched the franchise’s first Central Division title and the No. 1 seed for the Western Conference playoffs with a wild 5-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.

Winnipeg won for the fourth time in five games. It went 26-15-0 on the road this season, setting a franchise record for road wins.

Josh Morrissey had two third-period goals for the Jets, who trailed 2-0 after one. Connor had a goal and an assist in regulation, and Nino Niederreiter also scored.

Winnipeg forward Nikolaj Ehlers departed after he backed into an official in the second period. Ehlers, who has 24 goals and 39 assists in 69 games, had to be helped off the ice after he got hurt with 5:34 left.

Frank Nazar and Connor Bedard each had a goal and an assist for Chicago in its home finale. Ryan Donato also scored, and captain Nick Foligno had a short-handed goal.

Blackhawks forward Pat Maroon and defenseman Alec Martinez each played in their last NHL game. The team saluted Maroon with a highlight video in the first period and did the same for Martinez in the third.

When it was over, the Jets stayed on the ice for a handshake line with Maroon and Martinez.

Winnipeg grabbed a 3-2 lead when Morrissey converted a long slap shot for his 13th goal at 2:08 of the third. But Donato responded for Chicago with 9:07 left, extending his career high with his 31st goal.

Jets: The Ehlers injury is a concern so close to the end of the regular season.

Blackhawks: It was one of Chicago's better all-around games, but a shaky stretch in the second period proved costly.

Nazar came up empty on a prime scoring opportunity in the final seconds of regulation.

Winnipeg had 28 hits, compared to 16 for Chicago.

Winnipeg hosts Edmonton on Sunday night. Chicago visits Montreal on Monday night.

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

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey (44) scores on Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight (30) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight (30) stops a shot from Winnipeg Jets center Vladislav Namestnikov (7) during the third period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago Blackhawks left wing Patrick Maroon (77) plays during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Winnipeg Jets, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Alec Martinez (25) acknowledges the crowd in his last game during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Winnipeg Jets, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Josh Morrissey shoots during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy (5), left, and Winnipeg Jets center Mason Appleton (22) fight for control of the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg (54) handles the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (37) stops a shot from Chicago Blackhawks right wing Ilya Mikheyev (95) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

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)