GENEVA - Cyclings governing body is relaxing its rules to allow Lance Armstrong to make his comeback at a road race in Australia in January. Cowboys Terence Newman Jersey . The International Cycling Union said the seven-time Tour de France champion can compete in the Jan. 20-25 Tour Down Under, his first race since coming out of retirement after three years. A strict application of testing rules would not have allowed the 37-year-old Texan to compete until Feb. 1, 2009, six months after he filed paperwork with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. But the UCI said Wednesday that Armstrong could return early because its drug-testing standards have improved since the rule was drawn up four years ago. "Riders are now subject to a much-reinforced system of monitoring compared to that of the past," the governing body said in a statement. "Lance Armstrong has and will be the subject of very strict monitoring throughout the period running up to his return to the peloton." Armstrongs comeback is meant to draw attention to his global campaign to fight cancer, a disease he survived before winning seven straight Tours from 1999-2005. It is also a defiant stand against critics who doubt he could have achieved those victories without the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Now he is liable to be tested at any time without notice and will have his own biological passport as part of a UCI-backed initiative to monitor possible doping offences. Riders must give a series of blood and urine samples that allow a World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory to establish a baseline. Fluctuations from those readings afterward could indicate doping. Armstrong said last month he was tested in late August, and has enlisted personal anti-doping expert Don Catlin, who will make his test results available to the public. Catlin, who ran the first anti-doping lab in the United States at UCLA for 25 years, will freeze and keep samples of Armstrongs blood to be analyzed in the future. Armstrong will not be paid for returning to the saddle and the testing costs will be covered by his Kazakhstan-based Astana team, which is managed by his cycling mentor Johan Bruyneel. The Tour Down Under is the first event on the UCI Pro Tour calendar in 2009 and is likely to be followed by the Tour of California in February. Armstrong has suggested he might enter the Paris-Nice classic stage race in March, and could compete in South Africa before taking part in the Giro dItalia in May. He will attempt to win the Tour de France an eighth time in July. Brandon Jacobs Jersey White . - On a night Windsor honoured last seasons Memorial Cup victory, Spitfires head coach Bob Boughner said his team was suffering from a bit of a hangover. Brandon Jacobs Premier Jersey . For Vancouver, creating beautiful vistas for the 2010 Games rests on Mother Nature co-operating with snow-capped mountains and crystal clear skies. Atlanta Falcons Matt Ryan Jersey . Hideki Matsui had a pair of doubles and an RBI, while Jeff Mathis added a run- scoring double for the Angels, who earned their first sweep in Toronto since July 9-11, 2004 and have won four of five overall. Santana (1-2) struck out six and didnt allow a walk in throwing 106 pitches. Denver Broncos Dawkins Jersey . As of early Wednesday evening, a spokesman for the NHL Players Association said the union still hadnt received all of the necessary materials pertaining to the proposed change from the league. Replica Matt Hasselbeck Jersey . Unseeded this year after a string of injuries dogged her 2006 season, two-times former champion Williams looked dead and buried against fifth seed Nadia Petrova at a set and 5-4 down with the Russian serving for a place in round four. New England Patriots Devin McCourty Jersey . Related readings: Rio to export 140m ton iron ore to China in 10 Iron ore prices set to rise slightly Chinas iron ore output to exceed 1. Ryan Mathews Jersey . The Magic evened the series on Tuesday when Dwight Howard, who played the entire 48 minutes in the game, posted 33 points and 19 rebounds and got some much-needed help from his teammates down the stretch as Orlando downed the Hawks, 88-82. Broncos Tebow Jersey . Nikolay Davydenko of Russia holds up his trophy after defeating Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina in the final round of the ATP World Tour Finals tennis match in London November 29, 2009. Tweet Penalty killing is not glamorous work, and it doesnt enhance individual statistics. Its about taking away time and space on the ice and blocking shots. Its about keeping the score where it is during a two-minute onslaught, attempting to steal away momentum as play resumes. Its about winning games in the playoffs. Latest example? Thursday night in San Jose, where the Sharks converted 2-of-6 power plays in a 4-3 Game 1 win while Detroit went 0-for-5 with a man advantage. "Five on four, you just want to outwork those guys, keep better energy and try to create momentum off the penalty kill if you kill it," said defenseman Brooks Orpik, one of Pittsburghs leading penalty killers and shot blockers whose team resumes action tonight in Game 1 (7 ET, Versus, CBC, RDS) against the surprising Montreal Canadiens (who, to the point, have worked a successful power play this season). The Penguins had the NHLs ninth-best success rate at killing penalties in the regular season, checking in at 84.1 percent. On the other side of the ice, the Canadiens posted a severely restrictive number in their first-round series against Alex Ovechkin and Presidents Trophy winner Washington. The Caps scored on one--as in singular--of 33 power-play opportunities in the seven-game series. More proof to the importance of the PK: The Bruins were No. 1 in penalty-killing in the first round, fending off all 19 Buffalo attempts while Philadelphias penalty kill was fourth (4 of 39 -- 87.5 percent). The teams, ranked No. 6 and No. 7 going into the postseason, now meeting in the Eastern Conference semifinals (Game 1, Sat., 12:30 ET, NBC, TSN). With both teams averaging 17.2 penalty minutes per-game and both power-plays clicking at around the 27 percent mark, staying disciplined could be a key to second-round success.  Penalty killers: John Madden (Getty Images) Penalty killers: John Madden (Getty Images) Penalty killers are a special breed, ranging from star players to role players. Veteran center Jay McClement scored 29 points in 82 games for the Blues, but it was his knack for killing penalties that defined his true value to his team. McClement led all NHL forwards in shorthanded time on ice per game (3:44), and was one of nine forwards to top three minutes per game killing penalties, leading a group that includes Todd Marchant, Jordan Staal, Blair Betts, Vernon Fiddler, T.J. Galiardi and Chris Drury. All these players either have a great set of wheels to close gaps and create scoring chances on turnovers, and/or have a dogged determination that makes them a pest to play against. Aside from leading the Canadiens in regular season scoring with 70 points, Tomas Plekanec all lead all team forwards in penalty killing ice time per game, averaging 2:44. Along the way to producing a career-best 75 points, Vancouvers Ryan Kesler received 2:39 per game shorthanded. Marian Hossa of Chicago, one of the most accomplished goal scorers in the League, placed second among all forwards with 6 shorthanded points (5 goals), trailing only Alex Burrows (7 points) who led the Canucks with 35 goals. "Try to limit their scoring opportunities. Youre just trying to cut down the percentage of their shots," said Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi. "YYoure playing against the best players on their team, the best players on the ice, and you have to look at it as doing your part to help the team win. Denver Broncos Jersey Youth. " Of course, your best defense -- in all situations -- is a good goaltender. To support the goalie, a penalty killing unit will block shots, clear the crease and make sure its goaltender has a good view of the shooters as they take aim on net. "The penalty kill, just like the power play, can make or break the game," Bruins netminder Tim Thomas said. HOCKEYS FINEST Putting the winning pieces together Rocky Bonanno - NHL.com Staff Writer When three players on the same forward line find chemistry, great things and lots of points usually happen. READ MORE ›   Miller going in search of a different kind of silver Maddens Cup experience boost for Blackhawks  Chemistry a key to defense tandems MORE HOCKEYS FINEST STORIES › "Our blocked shots are usually at our feet, which makes it tough for the other team," Ryan Miller of the Sabres said. "But weve done a good job of saving the hard ones." After making the big block, it helps if the penalty killers can not only clear the puck but carry it out of the zone and create a scoring opportunity. "You turn it around and score on them, its a good momentum boost for the team and takes the wind out of their sails a bit," Kings goalie Jonathan Quick said. One of the biggest factors in the remarkable turnaround of the Coyotes from League doormat to 107-point playoff contender is success on the penalty kill. In 2008-09, they finished 28th in the League with a poor success rate of 76.8, permitting 68 power-play goals against. With a new coach, Dave Tippett, and a few new faces, Phoenix had the NHLs sixth-best penalty killing unit in 2009-10 with an 84.5 success rate, allowing 49 power-play goals against. In the regular season, Chicago had the NHLs fourth-best penalty kill at 85.3 percent. In the Western Conference Quarterfinals against Nashville, that dominance continued as the Blackhawks killed off 26 of 27 power plays to out help eliminate the Predators in six games. Coach Joel Quenneville praised the work of veteran forward John Madden, now in his first season with the Blackhawks. "Weve got some experienced guys," Quenneville said. "I think Johnny Madden helps with his experience. It starts right off the faceoff dot and goes right out to trying to alleviate those guys getting set up in our zone, to blocking shots, to clearing the pucks to the goalie making key saves. "The enthusiasm of having three pairs up front that are moving and going short (shifts), the whole group has some cohesiveness and they have pride in not getting scored upon." Defensemen Brent Sopel and Niklas Hjalmarsson should not be overlooked, with 21 and 14 blocked shots, respectively, in the Nashville series. Both played over four minutes a game in shorthanded situations. "You have to have a good penalty kill," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "Come crunch time in big games, theyre mandatory for keeping the other teams best players off the board. I dont think you see very many good playoff teams without a good penalty kill." Contact Rocky Bonanno at rbonanno@nhl.com ' ' '