EDMONTON - A 9-4 victory against the Seattle Kraken generated tons of holiday cheer in the Edmonton Oilers' dressing room.

That kind of win builds confidence for a squad that's now tied in points for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. But arguably no player needed it more than Oilers rookie Matt Savoie.

Savoie, 21, scored twice – once shorthanded and once on the power play – in 19:41 of ice time to bring his season totals up to five goals and nine points in 28 games. He consistently generated chances all game long, as the belief that he can produce as an everyday NHLer continues to grow.

"Confidence is huge. I went through it, I think, when I was 15 in the Western League, being snake-bitten, I didn't score at all that year," Savoie said post-game. "I played 24 games and didn't get on the sheet, and then next year, you get one, you get two, you build off that, it starts to flow and become a waterfall effect, and I hope that's the case here." 

The points have been flowing for Savoie lately. He now has four points in his last five games as he continues to impress coach Kris Knoblauch, who played him with Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin on Thursday.

"Overall, I've been happy with his game," Knobauch said. "He's been a good 200-foot player. We trust him on the penalty kill, we've had him on the second-unit power play. He's been up and down the lineup, not because his play was inconsistent, just because we felt he could play different roles, and tonight, I thought he was a good fit for Leon and Podz (Podkolzin)." 

Watch Avry Lewis-McDougall's video column up above for more on Savoie's growth this season. 

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