THE ASSOCIATED PRESS@ LOS ANGELES -- Patrick Kane learned of his grandfathers death shortly before game time, and he handled the pain in the only way he could imagine. By playing his heavy heart out. Kane had two goals and an assist, Nick Leddy had a goal and an assist, and the Chicago Blackhawks snapped their recent slump with a 5-3 victory over the struggling Los Angeles Kings on Monday night. After scoring goals early and late in his first three-point game since Dec. 28, Kane choked up in the dressing room while thinking about his grandfather, Donald, who lived next door during his childhood in Buffalo. "Just a tough day overall," Kane said. "He was one of my great friends growing up. Just a really sad day. It was important to get the win, but any time you get someone taken away from you thats so close to you, means so much, its tough to hear that right before the game, for sure." Kane pointed skyward after his first goal 1:02 into the game, coming out of the corner and beating U.S. Olympic teammate Jonathan Quick during a power play. "You think about it a couple of times on the bench, but I was just trying to focus on the game tonight," Kane said. "Just play well for him, I guess." Chicago coach Joel Quenneville didnt learn about Kanes extra burden until early in the game. Kanes teammates praised him for his poise while mourning his loss. "Hes a proud guy, and I think his grandfather meant a lot to him," Quenneville said. "It was probably an emotional night for him, but he played an unbelievable game." Kane had plenty of help. Marcus Kruger scored the tiebreaking goal on a double deflection in the second period for the defending Stanley Cup champions. Bryan Bickell also scored and Corey Crawford made 31 saves as Chicago swept the three-game season series between last seasons Western Conference finalists. Kane warmed up for Sochi with his first multigoal game since Dec. 14, while Canadian Olympic counterparts Patrick Sharp and captain Jonathan Toews picked up two assists apiece for the Blackhawks, who had lost five of six. Leddy contributed his first goal and first multipoint game since Dec. 23. With Chicagos victory and Anaheims loss to Columbus, the Blackhawks pulled within three points of the Ducks for the overall NHL lead. Anze Kopitar had a goal and two assists in Los Angeles highest-scoring performance since Jan. 21. Drew Doughty and Tyler Toffoli also scored, and Jonathan Quick stopped 25 shots in the Kings ninth loss in 10 games. "Tonight, energy-wise I think, was our best night in a while," Kings captain Dustin Brown said. "Weve got to just keep plugging along. I know its a broken record, but were not going to get out of it by doing anything different. ... Theres definitely frustration. If youre not frustrated in this room, theres something wrong with you." Although the Kings scored more than one goal for the first time in seven games, it wasnt enough to beat the NHLs highest-scoring team, which had lost two of three on its six-game road trip heading into the Olympic break. Los Angeles had scored just three total goals in the last six games heading into this meeting of the NHLs last two champs. "I think that we have a couple of guys that are frustrated with their own games," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "Theyre having a hard time right now, whether its the schedule or just where theyre at with their own games. Thats something they need to deal with themselves, for sure." The Kings got off to a horrific start yet again: Kane scored after Doughty took a charging penalty 24 seconds after the opening faceoff. Bickell then scored on a slick pass from Kane, but Doughty kept it close with his eighth goal on a one-timer moments later. His goal was the first by any Kings player except Kopitar in nearly two weeks. Kopitar evened it with a flip of a bouncing puck on a 3-on-1 rush, for his 17th goal, but Chicago went back ahead when Leddys shot from the point deflected off Krugers blade and smacked Kings defenceman Matt Greenes stick, popping over Quicks shoulder. After Leddy scored with 12:59 to play, Sharp set up Kanes second goal moments later. NOTES: Quick has started 15 of the Kings 16 games since he returned from a seven-week injury absence. ... Toffolis late goal was his 10th of the season -- and first since Dec. 19. ... The Kings scratched F Jordan Nolan, and Matt Frattin returned to the lineup after sitting out the past four games. Sean Davis Jersey .C. -- The Steve Smith era in Carolina is over. Chukwuma Okorafor Jersey . Messis father, Jorge Horacio Messi, is apparently still under investigation for an alleged 4 million euros ($5.3 million) in unpaid taxes from Messis image rights from 2007-09. 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So what happened Thursday? Lets break it down. The Charges The issue being determined at trial was whether Pistorius killed Steenkamp intentionally, or as Pistorius alleged, he killed her by accident believing her to be an intruder. There were three layers of charges for the Judge to consider: premeditated murder, murder and culpable homicide. Judge Masipas job was to start with the most severe charge (premeditated murder), and if the prosecution failed on that one, move on to the next charge. Premeditated Murder Premeditated murder requires intent to murder plus planning the murder. Premeditation is reserved for robust planning and doesnt capture an intent that materialized right before a crime was committed. In order to establish this charge, you need some planning ahead of time. Judge Masipa correctly concluded that Pistorius should not be convicted of premeditated murder. Frankly, there was no chance the prosecution was going to meet with success on this one. While this was a domestic dispute gone terribly wrong, there was no planning element. On to the next charge. Murder Since there was no conviction on premeditated murder, Judge Masipa went on to consider the next charge on her list, namely, murder. To make out murder, the prosecution had to show that Pistorius intended to kill Steenkamp that night. So its like premeditated murder without the planning component. This is where Judge Masipa surprised a lot of people (and got it wrong in my opinion). The totality of the evidence supported intent. However, Judge Masipa did not see it that way and opined that the prosecution failed to establish that Pistorius intended to kill his girlfriend. She went on to conclude that "on the murder charge, the evidence is purely circumstantial." Judge Masipa is correct that the evidence was "purely circumstantial," However, circumstantial evidence gets a bad rap. Convictions in the majority of criminal cases are secured by relying on circumstantial evidence (or evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact). Its unusual to get a confession or other direct evidence. This is why you look to the circumstances. The prosecution led by lawyer Gerry Nel presented strong evidence supporting intent. The prosecution called a number of witnesses, including Michelle Burger, Charl Johnson, Dr. Johan Stipp and Estelle van der Merwe, who testified that the lights were on and they heard arguing and screaming. Stipp recounted that he heard female screams that sounded like a woman "scared out of her mind." Burger described female screams as "petrifying" and added this: "I was sitting in bed and I heard her screams," Burger testified. "She screamed terribly and she yelled for help. I heard the screams again. It was worse. It was more intense. Just after her screams, I heard four shots. Four gun-shots... You could hear it was blood curdling screams. You cannt translate it into words.dddddddddddd. The anxiousness in her voice, and fear. It leaves you cold. She screamed terribly and she yelled for help." This is important evidence because Pistorius alleged all along that the couple never talked after they went to bed at 10pm and the room remained dark. This is just the tip of the Pistorius iceberg. For an in-depth review of the evidence, please click here and here to read my previous articles on Pistorius. I also analyzed Pistorius testimony on my TSN radio show Offside. For that, click here and here to listen to my review of the case. Ultimately, in view of the evidence as a whole, it is exceedingly difficult to agree with her conclusion. Third and final charge: Culpable Homicide After Judge Masipa cleared Pistorius on premeditated murder and murder, she moved on to the third and final charge: culpable homicide. This charge means that Pistorius negligently killed Steenkamp (or that the killing was an accident). In a brief afternoon session, Judge Masipa addressed the test for culpable homicide: what would a reasonable person do in the same circumstances? Judge Masipa found that Pistorius had other options with respect to dealing with the perceived threat. He could have called security for help, which would have taken less time than shooting through the bathroom door four times. As well, when the intruder entered the bathroom, he was actually closer to the balcony and could have used that opportunity to call for help. Judge Masipa then concluded that Pistorius was indeed negligent: "Pistorius had time to think and consider his actions. Im satisfied his actions werent that of a reasonable person. He acted too hastily and used excessive force. His conduct was negligent." Just as Judge Masipa was prepared to announce her decision on culpable homicide (which seemed like a conviction), she adjourned for the day. It was only 2:28pm; there was still time. It was an abrupt end reminiscent of The Sopranos series finale. Friday Judge Masipa will return to court on Friday to reveal her ruling on culpable homicide (as well as the lesser gun charges). Then, and only then, will we know if Pistorius will be convicted. Prison Time and Sentencing Premeditated murder calls for a compulsory life sentence, while murder results in a compulsory sentence of 15 years. But that doesnt matter any longer since these charges have been tossed. On culpable homicide, the legislation does not provide for specific prison time. Rather, the sentencing is discretionary (varies from fines to prison time), although its not unusual to see prison time in South Africa of 5-10 years for this type of crime. Still, given its discretionary nature, it is possible that Pistorius will not face any prison time. As I noted in my @EricOnSportsLaw Twitter account, its possible that Judge Masipa adjourned early to allow the sides to reach a deal. Just an unenthusiastic theory though. Ultimately, this would be a surprise development. If Pistorius is convicted on Friday, he will not be sentenced. That happens later at a sentencing hearing, where both side argue as to the suitable length of Pistorius jail time. 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