Call him Enver Lisin, film student. Rangers assistant coach Mike Sullivan has been hosting one-on-one tape sessions with the Russian winger, obtained from Phoenix for Lauri Korpikoski last summer.

Lisin not only watched video of his own play but was shown footage of other players, such as Toronto's Niklas Hagman and Chicago's Dustin Byfuglien. What did he learn that he should be emulating?

"Go crash the net, how to use my speed," said Lisin, who has a hairline fracture in his left foot but skated on the fourth line last night after missing four of the previous six games. "Go to the net strong, skate as hard as I can."

Lisin said he thought he would be in better shape from workouts, which were limited when his foot was healing.

"I lost a little strength," he said. "Couldn't jump or anything. I think I'll be more hungry. You see how much fun it is from the outside."

Coach John Tortorella said he has not given up on Lisin, who has three goals and five assists.

"We're not chucking him," he said. "The thing that's so intriguing about him is his speed . . . We're not trying to turn him into a banger."

Chance for Johnson

Rookie goaltender Chad Johnson, 23, who could make his NHL debut against the Islanders on Thursday, said it was good to play in Hartford on Friday and Sunday after watching as Henrik Lundqvist's backup since Dec. 5.

"It was nice getting some games," he said.

Gilroy getting points

Defenseman Matt Gilroy has three assists in three games with the Wolf Pack since his demotion. "[Mark Messier] was just down there," Tortorella said. "Each game we get information . . . we want to be fair to him. He's improving, but it's consistency, that's the key thing."