Photo by Synapped.

Good morning, Washington. The Washington Capitals kick off their quest for their first-ever Stanley Cup tonight against the New York Rangers at the Verizon Center. The Caps finished the season with the best record in the Eastern Conference — but here’s hoping that the pressure of being the top seed doesn’t weigh as heavily on the team as it did last year.

Mara Snags Post Endorsement: We’ll have a complete recap of last night’s raucous Black Cat at-large Council candidate forum later this morning, but the big news to emerge during last night’s debate was the endorsement of Republican Patrick Mara by the Washington Post. The paper’s editorial board “enthusiastically” endorsed Mara, citing the “need for a strong, independent voice to help the city regain its footing.” Of Mara’s opponents, the Post said that Vincent Orange’s candidacy is “more about looking backward than forward,” while Sekou Biddle “too easily adjusts his positions.”

What’s That About Choices, Now?: President Barack Obama’s “John, I will give you D.C. abortion” will likely be a quote that will stick with him for a while, at least in the minds of Washington residents hurting from the recent budget compromise. Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney fielded a question about it — asked whether the District was “thrown under the bus,” Carney responded that, despite Obama’s support of home rule, “tough choices were made, and that was one of them.” Does knowing that selling out D.C. possibly saved Title X make you feel any better? (As you ponder that question about the federal government’s treatment of the city, allow us to point you to DCist senior editor Martin Austermuhle’s editorial in The Nation.)

Briefly Noted: Virginia officials don’t want to pony up for underground Dulles Metro station…Man arrested in Quincy Street NW homicide…Maryland Public Service Commission continues probe into 911 outages…Third man acquitted in Trinidad murder trial…Feds ID members of violent robbery ring…Won’t somebody please think of the frogs?

This Day in DCist: Last year, video of police beating a University of Maryland student during a riot surfaced, while a ghost bike for a slain cyclist placed on the perimeter of the Nuclear Security Summit created some stark imagery.