BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Tage Thompson and Noah Ostlund scored 2:36 apart in the closing minutes of the second period, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-3 on Thursday night for their fourth straight win.
Josh Norris, Jack Quinn and Ryan McLeod also scored for the Sabres in their first game since Jarmo Kekalainen took over as general manager on Monday. In replacing Kevyn Adams, Kekalainen placed an emphasis on players showing character and the team consistency — two qualities lacking during the franchise's NHL-record 14-year playoff drought.
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Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon makes a save during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres center Noah Ostlund (86) and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) get separated by linesman Matt MacPherson (83) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres right wing Jack Quinn (22) celebrates his goal with left wing Zach Benson, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Alex Lyon made 24 saves in accounting for all four wins during Buffalo’s season-best run.
Travis Konecny, Cam York and Noah Cates scored for the Flyers, who lost in regulation for the first time in six outings (2-1-3). Samuel Ersson stopped 23 shots.
The win was the 915th of Sabres coach Lindy Ruff’s career, moving him into fourth place on the NHL list, one ahead of Barry Trotz. Captain Rasmus Dahlin’s assist on a no-look pass in setting up Thompson’s goal was the 300th of the defenseman’s career.
Consistency was an issue for the slow-starting Sabres, who were outshot 12-4 in the opening period. Character, however, wasn’t in an outing they trailed 2-1 after York converted Trevor Zegras’ no-look pass 11:01 into the second period, and hung after Konecny cut Buffalo's lead to 4-3 with 5:32 remaining.
Thompson tied it at 2 with 3:06 left in the period to extend his goal streak to five games. Ostlund scored the go-ahead by floating a shot from the right point inside the near post. Norris sealed the win by putting the Sabres up 4-2 by scoring 10:20 into the third period with a power-play goal.
Flyers: At the New York Rangers on Saturday.
Sabres: Host the New York Islanders on Saturday.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Buffalo Sabres goaltender Alex Lyon makes a save during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres center Noah Ostlund (86) and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) get separated by linesman Matt MacPherson (83) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York celebrates his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
Buffalo Sabres right wing Jack Quinn (22) celebrates his goal with left wing Zach Benson, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
MILWAUKEE (AP) — A jury found a Wisconsin judge accused of helping a Mexican immigrant dodge federal authorities guilty of obstruction Thursday, marking a victory for President Donald Trump as he continues his sweeping immigration crackdown across the country.
Federal prosecutors charged Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan with obstruction, a felony, and concealing an individual to prevent arrest, a misdemeanor, in April. The jury acquitted her on the concealment count, but she still faces up to five years in prison on the obstruction count.
The jury returned the verdicts after deliberating for six hours. Dugan faces up to five years in prison when she's sentenced, but no date had been set as of late Thursday evening.
The case inflamed tensions over Trump’s immigration crackdown, with his administration branding Dugan an activist judge and Democrats countering that the administration was trying to make an example of Dugan to blunt judicial opposition to the operation.
Dugan and her attorneys left the courtroom, ducked into a side conference room and closed the door without speaking to reporters. Steve Biskupic, her lead attorney, later told reporters that he was disappointed with the ruling and didn't understand how the jury could have reached a split verdict since the elements of both charges were virtually the same.
U.S. Attorney Brad Schimel denied the case was political and urged people to accept the verdict peacefully. He said courthouse arrests are safer because people are screened for weapons and it isn’t unfair for law enforcement to arrest wanted people in courthouses.
“Some have sought to make this about a larger political battle,” Schimel said. “While this case is serious for all involved, it is ultimately about a single day, a single bad day, in a public courthouse. The defendant is certainly not evil. Nor is she a martyr for some greater cause.”
According to a court filings that include an FBI affidavit and a federal grand jury indictment, immigration authorities traveled to the Milwaukee County courthouse on April 18 after learning 31-year-old Eduardo Flores-Ruiz had reentered the country illegally and was scheduled to appear before Dugan for a hearing in a state battery case.
Dugan learned that agents were in the corridor outside her courtroom waiting for Flores-Ruiz. She left the courtroom to confront them, falsely telling them their administrative warrant for Flores-Ruiz wasn’t sufficient grounds to arrest him and directing them to go to the chief judge’s office.
While the agents were gone, she addressed Flores-Ruiz’s case off the record, told his attorney that he could attend his next hearing via Zoom and led Flores-Ruiz and the attorney out a private jury door. Agents spotted Flores-Ruiz in the corridor, followed him outside and arrested him after a foot chase. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in November he had been deported.
Prosecutors worked during Dugan’s trial to show that she directed agents to the chief judge’s office to create an opening for Flores-Ruiz to escape.
An FBI agent who led the investigation testified that after agents left the corridor, she immediately moved Flores-Ruiz’s case to the top of her docket, told him that he could appear for his next hearing via Zoom and led him out the private door.
Prosecutors also played audio recordings from her courtroom in which she can be heard telling her court reporter that she’d take “the heat” for leading Flores-Ruiz out the back.
Her attorneys countered that she was trying to follow courthouse protocols that called for court employees to report any immigration agents to their supervisors and she didn’t intentionally try to obstruct the arrest team.
This courtroom sketch depicts Maura Gingerich at Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan's trial in court, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wis. (Adela Tesnow via AP, Pool)
This courtroom sketch depicts Judge Katie Kegel at Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan's trial in court, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wis. (Adela Tesnow via AP, Pool)
This courtroom sketch depicts Judge Laura Gramling Perez at Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan's trial in court, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wis. (Adela Tesnow via AP, Pool)
This courtroom sketch depicts Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan in court, Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 in Milwaukee, Wis. (Adela Tesnow via AP)
