Minnesota will be without its most consistent lineup presence tonight when it takes on the Habs at Xcel.
Defenseman Ryan Suter -- who hasn’t missed a game since joining the Wild three years ago -- will be held out of tonight’s lineup over concerns he’s got the mumps, per the Star-Tribune.
“We’re hoping it’s just illness,” Yeo said. “There’s a couple symptoms that he has that would make us concerned that it could be [the mumps].”
Suter, who logs an NHL-high 29:19 per night, wouldn’t be the first Wild defenseman to fall ill with mumps. Marco Scandella, Jonas Brodin, Keith Ballard and Christian Folin have all dealt with it already this season, and each missed games -- Brodin and Ballard were hit hardest by the virus, which sidelined them for seven and eight contests respectively.
With Suter out, the Wild’s defensive pairings will look like this tonight:
Marco Scandella-Jared Spurgeon
Jonas Brodin-Christian Folin
Keith Ballard-Nate Prosser