The Devils cut the lead to 3-2 on Travis Zajac's goal at 7:17. Kyle Palmieri stripped the puck from Ward behind the Carolina net and centered to the slot. After Blake Pietila pushed a shot on net, the rebound came to Zajac, who put the puck into an open net. Pietila, playing in his third NHL game, earned an assist for his first NHL point.
"We wound up playing with the puck a little bit (in the second)," New Jersey coach John Hynes said. "We put pucks behind their defensemen and that was something we wanted to do in the first period. We were stronger on pucks, and we played a much harder game in the second and third period."
The Devils outshot the Hurricanes 22-9 in the final 40 minutes.
"As resilient as this team is, we came back and played them tough down the stretch," Farnham said.
The loss was the first in regulation for Wedgewood, who made 20 saves (2-1-1). He made his fourth straight NHL start after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets in his debut on March 20.
"I'm not upset with anything I did out there," Wedgewood said. "I've been confident since Day One when I stepped up here and that's what has helped me. I've stay calm and collected. It's exciting. I feel like I belong. And with the way the guys are playing in front of me, it makes it a lot easier."