Buffalo Sabres forward Sam Carrick is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a left arm injury and could return to practice on Tuesday.

Carrick, 34, initially was expected to miss the Eastern Conference second-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens. The best-of-seven set begins Wednesday night in Buffalo.

“(He’s) going to see our doctors today and thinks he’s further along than maybe I portrayed yesterday,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Monday. “So, with good news, he could join our team back in practice tomorrow, which is great news. That would put him a little bit ahead of schedule.”

Carrick has not played or practiced since he was injured in a March 31 fight against the New York Islanders.

Acquired from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline, Carrick recorded five goals and one assist in 13 games for the Sabres.

Carrick has 89 points (43 goals, 46 assists) and 439 penalty minutes in 393 career games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, Rangers and Sabres.

–Field Level Media

The Carolina Panthers will hire longtime NFL safety Mike Adams to assist the coaching staff, multiple outlets reported Monday.

Adams, 45, began his NFL career in 2004 with the San Francisco 49ers and played for two seasons (2017-18) for the Panthers. He had 935 tackles and 30 interceptions over 16 seasons and 228 games with the 49ers (2004-06), Cleveland Browns (2007-11), Denver Broncos (2012-13), Indianapolis Colts (2014-16), Panthers and Houston Texans (2019).

He was named to consecutive Pro Bowls from 2014-15 with the Colts.

Adams will initially join the staff as a Bill Walsh coaching fellow, in an initiative to promote diversity in the coaching ranks. He will be utilized during offseason workout programs and in training camp.

–Field Level Media

Anthony Edwards is eager to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night, but he still hasn’t been given the green light from medical staff, ESPN reported.

The Timberwolves visit the San Antonio Spurs for Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Per ESPN, Edwards was a “significant participant” in the team’s shootaround Monday morning and video clips on social media showed him shooting jumpers and wearing a sleeve on his injured left knee.

He is listed as questionable on the injury report. He suffered a hyperextended left knee and a bone bruise on an awkward landing in Minnesota’s Game 4 victory over the Denver Nuggets in the first round on April 25. He avoided ligament damage but did not play in the rest of the series.

ESPN reported that a decision on Edwards’ status won’t come until closer to the 9:30 p.m. ET game time.

Teammate Julius Randle told reporters after shootaround that he wouldn’t be surprised to see Edwards on the court for tipoff.

“He loves to play the game so he’s going to do whatever he can to put himself in position to be out here,” Randle said.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Edwards is in his sixth season with Minnesota. In the first three games of the series against the Nuggets, Edwards averaged 23 points, four assists and eight rebounds. He added five blocks.

The four-time All-Star averaged a career-high 28.8 points per game on 48.9% shooting, including 39.9% from 3-point range, in the regular season (61 games).

Ayo Dosunmu, who led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Denver series (21.8 points per game), including 43 points in Game 4, is also questionable due to right calf soreness. He missed the clinching Game 6 win over the Nuggets with the ailment.

If Edwards, 24, does not play on Monday, his next opportunity will come Wednesday in Game 2 in San Antonio. The series shifts to Minneapolis with Game 3 on Friday.

–Field Level Media