As the NHL’s regular season wraps up on Saturday night, five Canadian teams have punched their tickets to the playoffs, while just two will be watching from the sidelines.

The Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators are all playoff-bound. This comes after the disappointment of last season that saw just a single Canadian team, the Habs, clinch a post-season position.

Canadians expressed their excitement Saturday for the playoff season, while others took it as a moment to make friendly jabs.

After securing a playoff berth by the beating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 on Saturday, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson couldn't help but take a swipe at the rival Leafs, who were eliminated from post-season contention nearly a month ago.

Toronto Mayor John Tory responded by poking fun at Ottawa's lack of an MLB franchise:

The Senators (43-26-13) clawed their way into the playoffs thanks to the play of Andrew the "Hamburglar" Hammond, who went from a 27-year-old borderline AHL goalie to posting a 20-1-2 record in the second half of the season.

But Ottawa may not get the last laugh if the Maple Leafs -- or the Edmonton Oilers -- winds up with the first pick at the NHL Draft Lottery next Saturday.

Toronto currently owns a 9.5 per cent chance of moving up to the top pick in the draft, which would give them the easy decision to select Connor McDavid who has been touted as a generational player, much like Sidney Crosby, Eric Lindros, Mario Lemieux and others to come before him.

Jets vying for the Cup

The Winnipeg Jets (43-26-13) were also saluted by their fans on Saturday, as the club is en route to its first playoff appearance since 1996, when the club was forced to relocate to Arizona following their post-season loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Fuelled by big performances from their young players, including Sean Monahan and rookie-of-the-year candidate Johnny Gaudreau, the Calgary Flames have cemented a surprising playoff berth.

The club (45-30-7) locked up their first playoff appearance in six years in style by knocking out the defending Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings, in a 3-1 win on Thursday.

Their first-round matchup will pit them against their cross-border rival Vancouver Canucks. after a one-year-hiatus, the Canucks return to playoff action, thanks a rejuvenated offence, spearheaded by Henrik and Daniel Sedin.

Among Canadian teams, perhaps the best chance of capturing the Cup belongs to the Montreal Canadiens, who own the Eastern Conference's second-best record.

Riding an MVP-type season from goaltender Carey Price, the Habs have gone 49-22-10.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs begin April 15.

Meanwhile, Watson wasn't the only politician poking fun as the Leafs wrapped up their season Saturday night: