"Other than getting run over by Derek Boogaard, few things are feared more by NHL players these days than concussions or swine flu.

Kyle Okposo has dealt with both.

A native of St. Paul who played a season and a half at the University of Minnesota before signing with the New York Islanders, Okposo suffered a concussion during an exhibition game in September, then was hit by the H1N1 virus earlier this month.

He was out about 10 days with the concussion before the season began, then came back strong with six points in his first six games.

The H1N1, he said, caused his heart to skip a beat.

"You're just like, 'Oh, boy,' " he said.

"It's not terrible," he explained after the Islanders' morning skate Friday, "but you can't really do much. You're pretty tired and your body just feels achy all over. It's not fun, put it that way."

Okposo, 21, arrived in the Twin Cities with the rest of the Islanders on Thursday afternoon and joined some of his family for dinner. He expected his mom, dad and about 30 other relatives and friends to watch him play Friday night against the Wild.

Okposo went into Friday night's game with five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 20 games, including two goals and an assist in his three previous games after the bout with the flu.

"I'm playing well and the team's playing real well, which obviously helps," he said. "It's been a good start. We're happy; we're not satisfied." "