The Matchup: Darren McCarty vs. Tie Domi

The Question: Which right wing would you rather have right now?

Darren McCarty

Tie Domi

Domi's hot, but McCarty's better
Tie Domi and Darren McCarty play similar roles on their respective teams. Both are tough guys, players called on to protect the superstars and change a game's momentum with their physical style of play.

The matchup between the two right wingers is more interesting than it otherwise would be because Domi has been on a scoring streak. The Maple Leaf winger has already scored nine goals, only two less than his season high over a 10-season career. That's one more goal than star center Mats Sundin and seven more than Steve Thomas.

It's amazing what a player like Domi can do when he has confidence in his scoring ability. He's had some chances and is suddenly putting pucks in the back of the net. Domi has sort of stumbled into a scoring streak. It's his nature to play the game aggressively. He will skate into traffic completely unafraid. Usually, he's going in to protect somebody. But now he's shooting the puck.

Domi has always been a physical, aggressive protector and one of the best in the game at his role. Whether it was to protect Teemu Selanne in Winnipeg or Mats Sundin now in Toronto, that's the foremost reason he's on the ice -- so that nobody messes with his team. He is not very big (5-foot-10, 200 pounds) compared to the other big bruisers in the league. But Domi is tough and smart when it comes to fighting and playing the game. He knows when the Maple Leafs need him to do something physical to get the momentum turned around.

McCarty, younger than Domi by three years, has been blessed with playing on some really good Red Wings teams the last five years. He has more skill than Domi, and the numbers have backed it up in the past. For skill, scoring and overall contributions to the team, McCarty was at his best during Detroit's two-year run of Stanley Cups. The move McCarty made against Philadelphia in the finals -- beating the defenseman, pulling out the goaltender and stuffing in the shot -- was like that of a 50-goal scorer. He looked like Sergei Fedorov on that play.

Like Domi, McCarty is smart about knowing when to fight. When he is hot and scoring goals, McCarty knows when opponents will try to take him off the ice. And he won't engage them in a fight because he knows he's more valuable on the ice than he is off the ice. McCarty is bigger than Domi, by four inches and about 15 pounds. And that just amplifies even more how well Domi does, given his smaller body, with the role he plays. But McCarty can fight, too.

Although McCarty isn't in the offensive zone Domi is in this season, there's no doubt that McCarty is the more talented player. Offensively and all around, McCarty has shown more ability to contribute. Every team has its own chemistry, though. So it's not always simple to choose the better player.

But I have to choose McCarty for his ability to finish plays better than Domi. McCarty has been fortunate to practice day in and day out with some incredible players in Detroit. Marty McSorley was once asked about how his game improved, and he credited playing with Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Paul Coffey every day. The same holds true for McCarty. Practicing alongside players with tremendous skill tends to raise the level of the entire team. It has helped McCarty playing in that environment.

Brian Engblom is a color commentator and analyst for ESPN's NHL coverage. He played 11 seasons in the NHL.