Wild defenseman Ryan Suter has mumps, becoming the fifth Wild player to come down with the infection this season.
Suter missed Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory over Montreal. It was the first game he has missed since signing with the Wild two-and-a-half years ago.
There is no word on how long Suter will be out.
Yeo: Suter has the mumps. "I'm not even ready to rule him out tomorrow. It affects people differently." #mnwild
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 4, 2014
Yeo isn’t overly concerned about having a contagious player around the team, saying they have been taking precautions to avoid the spread of the illness.
“We’ve been trying to do everything we can to prevent this,” he said, but it’s been making its way around the team.
Defensemen Keith Ballard missed eight games, Jonas Brodin missed seven, Christian Folin missed five and Marco Scandella missed two because of the illness.
Yeo: "The fact we've overcome this adversity…with how important our D is on both sides of the puck. I'm proud of our group." #mnwild
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 4, 2014
According to the Star Tribune, Yeo said that symptoms usually appear 16 to 18 days after the infection and people are most contagious three days before the salivary glands swell, and up to nine days after symptoms begin.
It’s not just the Wild that has been hit hard by the virus. USA Today reports that Anaheim, who Minnesota is scheduled to play on Friday, has three players out with it.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mumps typically start with a few days of fever, headache, muscle aches, tiredness and loss of appetite. Anyone who is not immune from the virus from a previous mumps infection or from vaccination can catch it.
