Sutter's debut vs. Blackhawks fitting

CHICAGO – There was something appropriate about Brett Sutter making his Wild debut against the Chicago Blackhawks.

His father, Los Angeles Kings coach Darryl Sutter, used to coach the Blackhawks and spent his entire playing career with Chicago. Brett Sutter lived in Chicago as a kid and was a big Blackhawks fan.

"My dad's history playing here and coaching here, it's exciting," said Sutter, 27, who played his 55th NHL game over parts of seven seasons. "They were my childhood team growing up here, so it's definitely neat."

Sutter, signed last summer by Minnesota to be a depth player, has spent most his career in the minors and was recalled to replace injured Ryan Carter at fourth-line wing. Of the seven Sutter brothers, six played in the NHL, and they were all gritty. So it wasn't a shock to hear Brett describe himself as a "hard-working player. I'm going to win every battle I can and keep it real simple and just play a heavy game, be physical and do what I can to help the team."

It's been a tough year for the Iowa Wild, but Sutter said things are on the upswing since John Torchetti took over as coach last month.

"Honesty and hard work, that's what he preaches," Sutter said. "He tells you how it is, whether you want to hear it or not. I think that's what we kind of needed."

All Wild fans know by now captain Mikko Koivu's signature shootout move: deke, backhand, roof. But while winning Saturday's game at Arizona, Koivu used the same move with a little a twist to beat Devan Dubnyk.

Some fans accuse Koivu of having just one move (untrue), but regardless, goalies usually know what's coming and Koivu still manages to score with it. He is 2-for-3 this season.

"Players know the goalies a little bit, too," Koivu said. "I'm just trying to keep them guessing and they're trying to do that to us. It's just a matter of doing [the move] the right way."

Koivu is tied with teammate Zach Parise for first all-time with 38 shootout goals. He is tied for first with Sidney Crosby, Patrick Kane and Frans Nielsen with 16 game-deciding goals.

"You want to be there when it matters. That's the best feeling as a player," Koivu said.

Defenseman Marco Scandella returned from a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head, his second such penalty in a 10-day stretch after not even coming close to crossing the line in four previous seasons.

Defenseman Duncan Keith, a two-time Norris Trophy winner, missed Tuesday's game because he was sick. With the mumps trickling through the NHL, the natural question to ask Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was, "Mumps?"

"I don't know," said Quenneville, sending Blackhawks reporters into a tizzy.

Some talked mumps with experts such as Scandella, one of five Wild defensemen to get the virus: "It just depletes your energy, and you just have to sleep all day."

• The Wild canceled its three Children's Hospital visits for Monday as a precaution because of mumps.