PRETORIA, South Africa - Oscar Pistorius murder trial enters a critical phase Monday as his defence team attempts to recover from a faltering start and reinforce the disabled athletes claim that he fatally shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp by mistake because he was overwhelmed by a long-held fear of violent crime. Pistorius mindset when he stood on his stumps in a bathroom and pulled the trigger on his 9 mm pistol in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013 remains the crux of the South African trial that has captured worldwide attention and is about to start its seventh week of globally televised proceedings. It was initially scheduled to run for three weeks. Judge Thokozile Masipa will analyze thousands of pages of testimony before she reaches a verdict, but ultimately must ponder the pivotal question: Did Pistorius fire his gun with the intention to kill or out of a misplaced belief that his life was in danger from a perceived intruder? South Africa does not have trial by jury, meaning Masipa will decide, with the help of two assessors, if Pistorius overall account is believable and whether the apparent inconsistencies in his testimony count against him or are unimportant in the bigger picture. If Pistorius defence, which will resume calling witnesses Monday after a two-week trial recess, can show that his story of a tragic error is a reasonable explanation, even the double-amputee runners shaky testimony would be rendered irrelevant and the judge should acquit him of murder, legal experts say. While testifying, Pistorius sometimes contradicted earlier testimony and other times said he did not remember details. "The test doesnt end there," former state prosecutor Marius du Toit said of Pistorius testimony. "Its not over. They (the defence) can still show there is another plausible scenario." Du Toit has over 20 years experience in South Africas criminal justice system and is following the trial closely. He said it must be shown that Pistorius had the "sole intention" to kill Steenkamp to be convicted of murder. Pistorius, 27, doesnt dispute that he shot 29-year-old Steenkamp through a toilet door. He claims the killing was accidental and he fired four times in quick succession without thinking and while terrified, believing that an intruder had climbed up a ladder and through a bathroom window of his Pretoria villa in the pre-dawn hours and was about to come out of the cubicle and attack him. Prosecutors charge that the story is an intricate lie designed to cover up a murder. They say the couple fought, Steenkamp fled to the toilet screaming and Pistorius followed her and shot her through the wood door while they were arguing. She was hit in the hip, arm and head. Charged with premeditated murder, the first amputee to run at the Olympics faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. He was once widely admired for overcoming the amputation of his lower legs as a baby to earn the right to run against the worlds top able-bodied athletes. The prosecutions case appeared to be bolstered as holes in Pistorius story were exposed when the athlete was on the stand for a fierce five-day cross-examination by prosecutor Gerrie Nel. Nel also succeeded in undermining the evidence given by the defences first two expert witnesses, a pathologist and a former police forensic scientist. But defence lawyers have only presented three of up to 17 witnesses they say they may ask to testify. At the outset of the defences case, lawyer Barry Roux said Pistorius actions on Valentines Day last year centred on his "disability" and "vulnerability" and Pistorius team will likely seek to rebuild the overall argument that his actions were guided by fear and not anger in a country with a high rate of violent home invasions. Roux said he will also show that a crucial thread of the prosecutions case is not true; that neighbours heard a woman screaming before and during the shots fired by Pistorius at around 3.17 a.m. on the fatal night. The lawyer said neighbours who live closer to Pistorius house in an upscale gated community in the suburbs of South Africas capital never heard a woman scream. Instead, it was Pistorius high-pitched shrieks for help after realizing his terrible mistake, the defence argues. San Francisco Giants Pro Shop . Tortorella told The Vancouver Province hell be cheering for Team Sweden to win gold when they take on the defending Olympic champions on Sunday morning. "I hope Sweden wins, cause I dont think Hammer (Dan Hamhuis) is going to play, judging by whats happened. Cheap Giants Jerseys . Old times for a defence that has looked just plain old recently? "No," safety Ryan Clark said. "We used to be much better than that. https://www.cheapjerseysgiants.us/. Scrivens stopped 48 shots and captain Andrew Ference scored in overtime as the Oilers pulled off a 4-3 upset of the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Stitched Giants Jerseys . Scrivens stopped 48 shots and captain Andrew Ference scored in overtime as the Oilers pulled off a 4-3 upset of the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Custom San Francisco Giants Jerseys . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. VANCOUVER -- Nicklas Jensen is likely not being sent back to the minors any time soon. The Vancouver Canucks rookie helped keep his teams flickering playoff hopes alive Wednesday night as he scored the only goal his team needed in a 2-0 victory over the Nashville Predators. It was Jensens third goal in four games, and also just the third of his NHL career. The Danish rookie has only played seven games this season since being promoted from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League because of injuries to forwards Daniel Sedin and Ryan Kesler. "Its huge," said Jensen of his high-scoring ways. "Its tough to know what to expect when you get up here. The way weve been playing, its been really well. "So Im happy with it. We just need to keep it going and play this way." Jensen and Alex Edler scored one minute 13 seconds apart in the third period to break open a scoreless affair. The Canucks (32-30-10) posted their fourth win in seven games, but remained in 10th place while pulling within three points of eighth-place Phoenix. The win was timely because the Canucks remained a point up on the Winnipeg Jets, who beat Colorado earlier Wednesday night. Nashville (29-31-10) is in 12th place, dropping five points behind the Jets. Vancouver goaltender Eddie Lack made 30 saves for his fourth shutout of the season -- tops among NHL rookies -- as the Predators enjoyed a 30-22 edge in shots. "Im the first one to say I havent got to my best games so far and it feels good coming out with a shutout tonight for sure," said Lack, who has inherited the No. 1 role following Roberto Luongos trade to Florida. Jensen finally opened the scoring as he picked up a loose puck while Nashville defenceman Seth Jones was checking Henrik Sedin, and then roofed a shot over Nashville goaltender Carter Huttons outstretched glove. "Henrik got the puck," said Jensen. "It was kind of scrambling and bobbling on his stick and he somehow he found a way to slide it over to me, and I just tried to release it and put it on net. "The guy (Henrik Sedin) can do a lot of things a lot of guys cant do. Thats also why hes so unique and one of the best players in the world. "When I came up here and heard that I could play with him, I knew I was gonna be ready." The 21-year-old Jensen, Vancouvers top draft choice in 2011 (29th overall), is proving himself at the NHL level in his first full season in North America. He was returned to the Ontario Hockey Leagues Oshawa Generals after he was drafted, and then split last season between a Swedish team and Vancouvers former Chicago Wolves AHL affiliate. Along he way, he has battled injuries and inconsistency. But he is proving himself to be a quick offensive study, with only nine NHL career games under his skates, after dressing for two last season. He is also impressing Canucks coach John Tortorella with his two-way play. "For a young guy, his positioning with the puck and without the puck, its really good," said Tortorella. The demanding Canucks coach said Jensen has thrived after starting slowly after his promotion. "I heard him say something wheere he really struggled early on, which he did, and then he just started getting some puck luck after that, and it just relaxed him," said Tortorella.dddddddddddd"He doesnt think about it. He just plays." Edler gave the Canucks a 2-0 lead on a power play as he slid a slapshot between Huttons outstretched leg and the right post. The goal came only five seconds after Nashville defenceman Victor Bartley was penalized for interference. The puck went in while the infraction was being announced over the public address system. The Canucks were playing their first game back home after a four-game road trip. The Predators completed their third straight series of back-to-back games within nine days. Accordingly, neither team could muster a goal in the first two periods. Tortorella said fatigue took a toll on his club. "I dont think we played that well in the first period. I dont think we won many battles. I thought, in the second period, we started winning some battles. a Going into the third period (it was) next goal wins." The Canucks did not get a shot on goal until 9:27 of the first period. Vancouver then enjoyed a spurt of offence, dominating with teams at full strength, but could not be Hutton. The Preds controlled play for the rest of the period, but could not beat Lack. The Canucks goaltender denied Gabriel Bourque from close range following an odd-man rush. Near the end of the period, Lack stopped Patric Hornqvist twice on one-timers that occurred within a few seconds of each other. In the second period, Hutton stopped Edler as he came out of the penalty box, took a pass and rushed down the right wing. Moments later, Hutton foiled Dan Hamhuis on a wraparound and Alex Burrows on the ensuing rebound. "I thought it was a pretty even game," said Nashville coach Barry Trotz. "Both teams had some looks and were just not scoring easy right now. The Preds were shut out for the ninth time this season as their playoff hopes grew slimmer. "Weve got to get some goals for our goaltender," said Trotz. Notes: The Canucks lost Burrows for a while after Jensens goal as he appeared to be slashed on the left hand by Preds captain Shea Weber as the puck went in. Burrowss glove came off on the play, but he was able to come back. Tortorella said Burrows will be evaluated Thursday. a Nashville centre Paul Gaustad was injured when Canucks defenceman Edler checked on a breakaway and proceeded to fall on him in the first period. Gaustad went to the dressing room and did not return. a Tortorella said defenceman Chris Tanev will be out three to four weeks with a broken finger suffered while blocking a shot Monday in Tampa Bay. If the Canucks miss the playoffs, he could be done for the season. No updates were given on injured centre Ryan Kesler and winger Daniel Sedin, who remain out indefinitely with undisclosed ailments. a Canucks centre Brad Richardson returned after missing seven games with an undisclosed upper-body injury. a Vancouver general manager Mike Gillis and his family donated $55,000 in conjunction with a local radio station to the teams charitable childrens foundation. ' ' '