But as loud as the building will be, as much emotion as will be spilling out, Ruff said he believes his players will be prepared. 

They will be ready. 

“Our fans have given us a great taste of that in our last, probably last 15 home games, where the building’s been sold out, it’s been electric in here,” he said. “They saw a real good piece of it when we played Tampa Bay (a 4-2 win April 6). That was probably as close an example.

“So I feel that they’ve gone through some training. It’s been playoff atmosphere and the fans have been electric inside this building. So it will probably get to a little higher level, but it’ll be part of what we learn to grow with.”

And though there are no comparables, Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov has, perhaps, an inkling of what might be in store. Zadorov, who was selected by the Sabres with the No. 16 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and who played 67 games over two seasons for Buffalo, was with the Vancouver Canucks when they returned to the playoffs in 2024 after not having had a home playoff game since 2015 (The Canucks made the second round of playoffs in 2020, but all games were played in the bubble in Edmonton because of the COVID-19 pandemic).

“I think that place is going to be nuts,” Zadorov said. “We can see how big are the (Buffalo) Bills there. And obviously I played in Vancouver when they haven’t played playoff hockey at home for [nine] years and that was probably the loudest building I’ve ever been to. These guys have been waiting for [15] years. I’m expecting a great atmosphere, and I’m going to enjoy it for sure.”

It will be loud. It will be rowdy. It will be a party. 

It will be unlike anything in NHL history, as the Sabres will try to harness it and Bruins will try to feed off it. 

“If you don’t enjoy it, you’re in the wrong sport or wrong place,” Zadorov said. “That’s playoff hockey, that’s pressure, that’s atmosphere, that’s intensity, physicality, blood, sweat, you name it. Everything is enjoyable for sure.

“And when you play on the road, the building’s been so hungry and the city’s been so hungry for it, you just want to enjoy it.”