The New York Rangers kicked off the 2008-09 campaign with a victory and will try to sweep the Tampa Bay Lightning today, as the teams wrap up a two-game set at the O2 Arena in Prague.

For the second straight year the NHL regular season began in Europe with the Rangers and Lightning facing off in the Czech Republic and the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins battling at the Globe Arena in Stockholm. Last year, the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings started the NHL season with a pair of games in London.

The Lightning were the designated home club for Saturday's contest and New York will be the host today.

The Rangers won a close affair Saturday to pick up their fourth straight season-opening victory. Brandon Dubinsky's power-play marker late in the third period proved to be the game-winner, as the Blueshirts earned a hard-fought 2-1 triumph over the new-look Lightning.

Markus Naslund also scored in his debut for the Rangers, who were ousted in the second round of the playoffs last season by eventual conference champion Pittsburgh in five games. Henrik Lundqvist, a Vezina Trophy nominee in each of his first three seasons in the league, stopped 20-of-21 shots to get the win.

Naslund was signed to a two-year, $8 million contract by the Rangers this past summer in a move designed to alleviate the loss of centerman and former New York captain Jaromir Jagr, who left to play in Russia's KHL.

Chris Drury played his first game as New York's captain after being awarded the "C" on Friday.

Martin St. Louis lit the lamp for the Lightning, who made a bevy of moves in the offseason to alter a roster that finished dead last in the NHL in 2007-08. Mike Smith was strong between the pipes, making 39 saves in a losing effort.

Vincent Lecavalier, who was named Tampa's captain in the offseason, assisted on St. Louis' marker and finished with six shots on net.

The game marked the return to the bench for Lightning coach Barry Melrose, who coached his first game since he piloted the Kings in 1994-95. Melrose replaced John Tortorella, who was fired in June.

Steven Stamkos, the top pick in the 2008 draft, recorded two shots in 8:25 of ice time for Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay had a two-game winning streak against the Rangers halted, but has still won four of the last six encounters between the clubs.

The Lightning had the NHL's longest current winning streak in season openers snapped at five games.

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