Karel Vejmelka skated back onto the ice, pumping his arms and whooping to a Delta Center crowd eager to give him a raucous standing ovation. The usually soft-spoken and reserved Utah Hockey Club goaltender was announced as the first star of the game and let his emotion break through after making a career-high 49 saves in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

SALT LAKE CITY – Karel Vejmelka made a career-high 49 saves for the Utah Hockey Club in a 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes at Delta Center on Wednesday. Nick Bjugstad scored twice, and Michael Kesselring had two assists for Utah (7-6-3), which won for the fourth time at home this season (4-2-1).

Vejmelka saved 49 of 50 saves and helped kill off 25 penalty minutes, including over 10 minutes alone in the third period, to lift Utah to a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Utah Hockey Club has not been satisfied with its recent stretch of games. The team has lost seven of its last 10 matchups — and while lessons were learned through the growing pains — it wants to win.

Next up for the Utah Hockey Club will be one of its toughest tests yet: the fourth-place Carolina Hurricanes, who come to town on Wednesday. The Hurricanes have won the most games of any team since the NHL resumed play after the pandemic.

Welcome to the latest edition of NHL Predictions. Every day, the Last Word on Hockey team digs into upcoming games to provide analysis on the matchups and take a look at what elements can change the game.