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UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- The New York Islanders were seeking a positive finish to a frustrating season on home ice. Ottawas Jason Spezza and Craig Anderson did their best to block that effort. Spezza scored twice and Anderson made 45 saves as the Senators topped the Islanders 4-1 on Tuesday night. The Senators (34-31-14) will still miss the post-season for the first time since 2011 and just the third time since 1996. They were making their first appearance this season at Nassau Coliseum, and the Islanders won the previous two meetings in Ottawa. "It feels good to put together a team effort and come away with the win," Anderson said. "We played well." Matt Kassian scored an empty-net goal at 19:48, his first this season. Spezza, the Senators captain, had the chance for a hat trick, but instead passed to Kassian. Frans Nielsen scored the lone goal for the Islanders with his career-best 25th in the teams home finale. Anders Nilsson made 28 saves for the Islanders (31-37-11), who wont reach the playoffs for the sixth time in seven years. They finished 13-19-9 at home. "The effort has been there and will continue to be there," Islanders defenceman Travis Hamonic said. "Were going to keep pushing and playing hard until the end." Spezza opened the scoring on a tip-in at 12:45 of the second. Nielsen then tied it 22 seconds into the third. Rookie defenceman Kevin Czuczman and Josh Bailey had assists, giving Bailey points in six straight games. Spezzas go-ahead goal at 12:45 of the third came when his shot edged under crossbar behind Nilsson. Ales Hemsky, who assisted on both of Spezzas goals, added his 13th at 14:26 of the third to make it 3-1. The Islanders qualified for the post-season last year for the first time since 2007 and lost to the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins in a tough six-game opening-round series. But they never found firm footing this season after trading captain John Tavares longtime linemate Matt Moulson to Buffalo for Thomas Vanek on Oct. 27. They subsequently traded Vanek to Montreal at the March 5 deadline. The Islanders also had to contend with a litany of injuries to key players, particularly veteran defenceman Lubomir Visnovsky, who missed most of the season with a concussion and starting goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. Then, Tavares suffered a season-ending knee injury during the Winter Olympics in February. The Islanders have dressed at least nine rookies in their last nine games in which theyve gone 5-2-2. They are 7-4-2 in their last 13 contests. There are 11 rookies on the current roster: Defencemen Calvin de Haan, Scott Mayfield, Matt Donovan and Czuczman in addition to forwards Brock Nelson, Brett Gallant, Mike Halmo, Anders Lee, John Persson and Ryan Strome plus Nilsson. All but an injured de Haan played against the Senators. "Im proud of the young guys, they are playing hard," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "When we get our team back next year and play the way we can play, I think we can make a push and get back to the dance." Gallant, 25, made his NHL debut. He had 245 penalty minutes in 56 games for Bridgeport of the AHL. The feisty forward levelled Kassian with a single punch midway through the first period. "He caught me with one," said Kassian, sporting a postgame bruise under his right eye. "Sometimes that happens in a fight, you get punched right in the face." The Islanders conclude their season with road games at Montreal, New Jersey and Buffalo. Ottawa hosts New Jersey and Toronto before finishing at Pittsburgh. NOTES: Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck left during the first period with an upper-body injury and didnt return. ... Ottawa was without defencemen Colin Greening and Jared Cowen with lower-body injuries, plus forward Bobby Ryan (sports hernia). ... Defenceman Thomas Hickey is the only Islander to play all 79 games this season. ... The Islanders are 25-10-4 when they score at least three goals and 6-27-7 when they do not. Rashan Gary Jersey . Jurrjens signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati in May, and was 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA at Triple-A Louisville. He has a 53-37 record with a 3.63 ERA in seven major league seasons, including five with Atlanta. Lucas Patrick Jersey . With newly minted president of hockey operations Trevor Linden looking on from above one day after being handed the keys to the franchise, it was more of the same on Thursday night. http://www.wholesalepackersjerseys.com/?tag=youth-javien-hamilton-jersey . -- Adrian Peterson takes a look around the league and sees big money flying everywhere. Packers Jerseys China . The Raptors have to get through the pesky New York Knicks Wednesday at Madison Square Garden and can lock up the third spot in the Eastern Conference with a win or a Chicago loss in Charlotte. Alex Light Jersey .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. BETHESDA, Md. -- About two dozen photographers lined up in a row on the range Tuesday at Congressional, a reminder that golf is different when Tiger Woods is around. And that was before Woods even arrived to hit balls for 35 minutes. He was last seen wearing golf shoes on March 9, when he walked gingerly off the golf course at Doral with back pain that had been bothering him off and on since August 2012 and finally reached a point that he chose surgery over playing two majors. Woods returns at the Quicken Loans National with big hopes and realistic expectations -- and with no pain. Asked for an opening comment on where he is with his recovery, Woods smiled and said, "Im right here." "Its been an interesting road," Woods said. "This has been quite a tedious little process, but been one where I got to a point where I can play competitive golf again. And its pretty exciting." Dressed in black, with shoes the company colours of his new endorsement deal (MusclePharm), Woods turned the routine into news. After each booming tee shot, he casually walked forward a few paces, stooped to pick up his tee and to reload for the next shot. Woods, who had back surgery on March 31, said the British Open was his target all along. He was candid in saying he might not be playing the Quicken Loans National -- this is the first year for a new title sponsor -- if it did not benefit his foundation. Thats not to suggest he is coming back too early. Woods said he has been in constant contact with doctors and trainers as he slowly expanded his swing from chipping and putting to irons to wedges, all the way through the bag until he started swinging the driver a few weeks ago. He tried to add 10 yards of distance every couple of days, taking a break and getting treatment on days it didnt feel quite right. When he started putting, he would fill the holes on his practice green with sand to keep from bending over to pluck the ball out of the cup. When he felt strong enough to play, he said he would ride while standing on the back of the cart to avoid too much sitting. Woods always has said he doesnt play if he doesnt think he can win. Thats still the objective, sprinkled with some reality. It will have been 109 days without PGA Tour competition when he tees it up Thursday morning with Jordan Spieth and Jason Day. "Expectations dont change," Woods said. "Thats the ultimate goal. Its just that its going to be a little bit harder this time. I just havent had the amount of prep and reps that I would like. But Im good enough to play, and Im going to give it a go." The British Open is July 17-20 at Royal Liverpool, where Woods won in 2006 after missing the cut in a major for the first time at the U.ddddddddddddS. Open. It also was his first major since his father died. Woods collected his 14th major two years later while playing on a shattered left leg at Torrey Pines. He hasnt won another since then, leaving him four short of the standard set by Jack Nicklaus. He cant win if he doesnt play, so this would be an important first step. "I think theres always a fascination in terms of watching Tiger play golf and the run that hes been on throughout his career and what he still has to achieve in terms of his goals," Justin Rose said. "I think golf will get really exciting if he starts winning a couple more majors and the race to 18 becomes incredibly on again. I think thats incredibly exciting for the game of golf and will draw a lot more interest in the game once again." Theres already more interest. Organizers said ticket sales were double what they normally are on a Friday before the tournament, the day Woods announced his return. This is the second time in four years that Woods has missed a three-month portion of the season because of injuries. He played only nine holes from April to August in 2011 while letting his leg injuries fully heal. The difference this time was his lifestyle. Woods said he couldnt function in the weeks leading to his microdiscectomy surgery at the end of March. "Anyone that has had any kind of nerve impingement, its not a joke," he said. "That part was relieved as soon as I got out of the surgery. That nerve impingement, that pain that I was feeling going down my leg was gone. "Ive heard numerous people talk about it, and Ive had people come up to me and say they had the same procedure and got their life back and thats basically how I felt. I was able to do things, and do things that I normally took for granted." Woods jokingly said he broke 50 when he played at home, just like he did when he was 3. "My prime is coming up," he said. He has looked like an old 38 in recent years because of injuries and surgeries, though he is learning how to gauge his training. He recalled his younger days when he would run 30 miles a week, even if he was hurt, unaware the damage he was doing to his body. "I have to now pick my spots when I can and cant push," he said. "Before, when youre young, I just pushed it all the time. But now Ive got to listen to my body, listen t