ESPN NHL Playoffs 2007

Updated: April 24, 2007, 6:58 PM ET

Ruff: It's my job to keep team focused

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By Scott Burnside
ESPN.com
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BUFFALO -- When asked Tuesday whether he was worried about Sean Avery getting under the Sabres' skin, as he did against Atlanta stars Ilya Kovalchuk and Keith Tkachuk in the first round, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff seemed amused.

Avery

Ruff

Was Ruff worried about something, "like Danny Briere running around trying to fight him?"

When the laughter from the assembled reporters died down, Ruff said it was up to Avery to try to take the Sabres off their game and was the coach's job to keep them on it.

"That's my job again. That falls on my watch too," he said.

'One team ...'
Ruff was sporting a spiffy white hat with a Sabres logo superimposed over the Stanley Cup. Alongside the logo were the words, "One team, one goal." It's a catchphrase the Buffalo coaching staff came up with during training camp.

Sporting the cap now suggests that Ruff believes the old saying that if you can't talk about the Cup, you can't win it. Other teams have used similar slogans, including the Colorado Avalanche, who bore "16W" on baseball caps, representing the number of wins necessary to win the Stanley Cup.

Rangers' balanced attack
Brendan Shanahan credits the Rangers' coaching staff for implementing a four-line balanced attack midway through the season, a plan that turned around the team's fortunes.

Last season, New York was swept by New Jersey in the first round in part because it lacked depth up front. This campaign, the team has moved to a more balanced attack with the help of players such as Ryan Callahan, Avery and Marcel Hossa up front and Thomas Pock and Daniel Girardi on defense.

"We didn't have any guys splintering away from the concept," Shanahan said Tuesday. "We just got good at it."

The Rangers' defense might have a new wrinkle with the return of Karel Rachunek to the lineup, likely playing with Paul Mara.

Scott Burnside is the NHL writer for ESPN.com.