Oilers' Klefbom calls loss to Cup champs 'a lesson for us'

Despite an unexpectedly hot start to the season, the Edmonton Oilers weren't up to the task when measuring themselves against the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues on Wednesday.

St. Louis handed Edmonton a 5-2 home loss and claimed its sixth consecutive victory while maintaining its hold of first place in the Western Conference. The Blues' ability to close out the win was something the Oilers took note of afterward.

"This was a lesson for us," Edmonton defenseman Oscar Klefbom told The Canadian Press. "This was a playoff game and obviously we have a long way to go. We have to find a way to win these games because there are going to be many of them this year.

"We're going to play a lot of good teams and we have to be ready. They played last night, and we gave them a little bit too much and it cost us."

Despite the loss, Edmonton put together a strong showing versus the defending champs in a number of statistical categories, owning a 34-25 advantage in shots on goal while firing 54.74% of shot attempts and producing 56.52% of scoring chances at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The defeat was the Oilers' second in a row to kick off a three-game homestand that will conclude Friday versus the New Jersey Devils. Even with the loss, Edmonton sits first in the Pacific Division with 22 points through 17 contests.