Rats Roundup - Top 10 on ESPN, More Jagr History

The Cats fell last night to last season's President's Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals, by a score of 4-2. But the game wasn't without its positive notes, starting with some more history for Jaromir Jagr.

MARCH(ESSAULT) TO A DIFFERENT BEAT

With an assist on Jagr's historic goal last night, Jonathan Marchessault continued his torrid pace to begin his career in Sunrise. His 2-3-5 line has him tied with his center, Aleksander Barkov, for the team lead in all three categories.
People across the league are taking notice of the 25-year-old winger's hot start.
ESPN's Pierre LeBrun wrote a piece on Marchessault this week
, talking about his journey, praise from his former coach and where he fits in going forward.
"When I talked to Florida management, they told me they saw me in a bigger role and able to play in all the games and on a good line,"
So far, so good for Marchessault. Filling in for the injured Jonathan Huberdeau on the top line with Barkov and Jagr, he's held his own.
LeBrun's piece wasn't the only coverage Marchessault got this week, either. Our own Jameson Olive caught up with the winger at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs this week,
in another must-read piece.

CAP MAC MAKES SI

The Cats came into this year after an offseason of growth, but beyond the new players and new uniforms, one of the most salient storylines was their new captain.
Derek MacKenzie - a 13-year NHL veteran - was the choice after wearing one of the A's last season. The center is well-known among Panthers fans for his tenacity and leadership, but four games into his captaincy, those across the country are getting acquainted.
Sports Illustrated's Daniel Friedman wrote a lengthy feature on what made MacKenzie such a great fit for the captaincy, and the stamps of approval that he sought out before accepting the role.
Two of the first guys he talked to before accepting the role? Jaromir Jagr and Roberto Luongo.
As told to SI:
*"Jaromir Jagr's gonna be a Hall-of-Famer, and Roberto Luongo

MIKE MATHESON: HUMAN HIGHLIGHT

Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson,
a verified World Champion™
, has had one heck of a start to the season. He showed off some superhuman strength as he took the puck back from New Jersey's Damon Severson on opening night, right before his crisp pass set up Aleksander Barkov's game-winner. But there was still something he hadn't quite knocked off of his checklist - scoring an NHL goal.
Well, he wasted no time in taking care of that.

And in an interesting development, Matheson decided that he really likes this "goal scoring" thing. Because his next time out, he put another one in the back of the net, past Vezina winner Braden Holtby.

Don't be surprised if career goal number three comes soon.

QUICK-HITTERS

• Come to Saturday's game, and Trick-or-Treat on the ice after the final horn!
• Which movie star is Jason Demers' biggest idol? Check out the first installment of Demers' Diary to find out!
• Fun with small sample sizes: The Florida Panthers PK unit is off-the-charts good.
• Yeezy Season Approaching: Kanye West is set to perform at the BB&T Center in December.