Manager Glenn Hoddle had set Wolves the target of taking maximum points from their two home games against Stoke and Cardiff City this week to put the pressure on Preston and Crystal Palace.
But they struggled to seriously test Stoke who should have been there for the taking following their recent dismal run on the road.
They had arrived at Molineux on the back of a run of five successive away defeats, with one win in their last 11 games and without a victory away from the Britannia Stadium since December.
In fact, Stoke could easily have sent Wolves crashing to defeat if they had been more clinical in front of goal at the start of the second half when they enjoyed their best spell of the game.
Clint Hill's 53rd minute header was acrobatically tipped on to the bar by goalkeeper Stefan Postma following Paul Gallagher's free-kick before Carl Hoefkens' low 58th minute drive drifted just wide.
Considering how high the stakes were for Wolves, it took them fully 20 minutes to come to life against travel weary Stoke.
When they did hit form, they had a purple patch that should have seen them break the deadlock.
But Jeremie Aliadiere saw his 24th minute overhead kick flash the wrong side of the post while Kenny Miller volleyed over the bar four minutes later.
However, the best chance fell to leading scorer Carl Cort who pounced on a misplaced header from Michael Duberry only to then steer his 36th minute shot wide.
Having managed to come through that storm, Stoke finally got into gear themselves in the final 10 minutes of the half.
Gallagher tested Postma from 25 yards and Dave Brammer dragged his long-range shot wide as the game finished goalless.