Fans, players and manager will want to look at another point on the table and feel one step closer to securing Championship safety. As Cardiff City boss Sabri Lamouchi told reporters after the game: "It's better than nothing."
But it is hard not to feel like two points dropped - not only because Sory Kaba had his penalty saved, but the fact that the Bluebirds conceded from the first corner they faced.
The point looks even less rewarding in the context of QPR's win over champions-in-waiting Burnley, while the bottom two teams Blackpool and Wigan were both able to get three points as well.
So, how should Cardiff feel after a languid draw at home, against a team that has so little to play for?
Is there cause for concern?
Here are five takeaways from the action at Cardiff City Stadium - from the set-pieces that decided the game, to Jaden Philogene, Ryan Allsop and the mood in camp as they head into the final three games.
Hole in the wall
Lamouchi made only one change from the XI that beat Watford on the road, bringing in the more luxurious Romaine Sawyers for Andy Rinomhota.
Sawyers, Joe Ralls and Ryan Wintle were able to match Stoke's three-man midfield and City's backline proved competent enough to deal with the Potters' forwards.
But there was a hole in the wall. Every time Perry Ng pushed forward, the visitors looked for a ball over the top into the space that he left behind.
It is far from the first time in Lamouchi's tenure where the opposition have looked to catch the outside centre-halves off guard - fans will remember Joel Piroe doing Mark McGuinness with the same trick in this month's South Wales derby.
Smallbone, great delivery
Despite consistent attempts to exploit the space behind Ng, it wasn't a ball over the top that produced Stoke's goal, but a wonderful corner from Will Smallbone.
The midfield maestro fired the ball into the box with the precision and intention that could have only come from a training ground routine.
Smallbone completed four crosses and sent many more threatening balls into the box. City did not allow the visitors another shot on target for the rest of the game - but Stoke only needed to get one right, and they did.
"I'm disappointed about the first corner," Lamouchi said after the game. "We were not absolutely ready. We were so strong and determined three days ago in Watford, and this one - the first one - we were not ready."
Spot the difference
City fans hoped that something might happen when they saw Philogene warming up in the second half, but they probably weren't expecting him to produce a game-changing moment within three minutes of entering the fray.
The sizzling winger squared up to Stoke defender Connor Taylor in the box, beat him to the line, then cut back, drawing a panicked challenge that was only ever going to result in a spot-kick.
If anyone could break Cardiff's penalty curse this season, it would be highflying Kaba - having converted the side's first spot-kick only last weekend and bagging his eighth goal in 14 games in the first half.
The City striker stepped up, hit the ball low, to the goalkeeper's left, and... saw it saved.
"This is football," Lamouchi reflected. "He scored one more goal, an important goal for us. He can be the man of the match maybe more with a penalty."
Cardiff have the third worst penalty conversion rate in the Championship this season with only one goal from five attempts.
Penalties are as close to a gifted goal as football allows, often turning a limited chance into a dead ball that is harder to squander than score.
The Bluebirds may have another in the final three games that they cannot afford to miss. At this stage of the season, it could be the difference between survival and relegation.
Allsop, all change
It looks as though Lamouchi may be heading into the final three games with only one senior keeper to call on after Allsop left the pitch with an injury after 67 minutes played.
"He has a pain in his adductor," Lamouchi told reporters after the game. "But with Jak (Alnwick) we have an experienced goalkeeper, so we don't have a problem."
Alnwick, 29, did not need to make any saves after joining the action with just over 20 minutes to play, but it looks as though Cardiff's future in the second tier will depend somewhat on the former St Mirren keeper's shot-stopping ability.
Though his composure on the ball speaks for itself, some fans have criticised first-choice keeper Allsop in recent weeks for failing to stop some efforts that look like they could have been saved.
Ironically, the last time Cardiff kept a clean sheet - against Bristol City on March 4 - they finished the game with Ng in goal after Allsop received a red card.
Some fans may think that Alnwick deserves a run in the starting XI, but at this stage of the season, in these circumstances, a shake-up may be uncertain at best and destabilising at worst.
Final leg of the marathon
Allsop is not the only player suffering at the end of a challenging campaign - and manager Lamouchi is feeling the fatigue.
"We are all tired. Six games in three weeks, it's too much," the City boss said. "Both teams, we saw not a lot of energy, it's terrible for them."
Lamouchi admitted that he told his players he expected them to be better in the second half as they took time to find their intensity again.
Cardiff face Rotherham on Thursday after the original fixture was abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch with 48 minutes played.
City top scorer Kaba seemed to be another player out of gas in the final minutes against Stoke and there are persistent doubts about the ability of senior players, like Ralls and Connor Wickham, to complete a full 90 minutes.
The decision not to start Philogene was "absolutely not" tactical, Lamouchi said, but the manager felt it was too risky to play the 21-year-old for the full duration.
Youngsters like Isaak Davies, an unused substitute, and Rubin Colwill, yet again absent from the matchday squad, look set to only play a bit-part role in the final three games, if at all. Lamouchi confirmed the squad will have a day off training to help their recovery after 90 minutes against Stoke.
"Get the rest now and we will go to Rotherham to do our best," he said.
The Bluebirds return to the New York Stadium on Thursday evening before hosting Neil Warnock's Huddersfield Town for the final home game of the season on Sunday, April 30.
READ MORE:
