A 4-2 win was secured with goals from Marcus Tudgay (2), Jermaine Johnson and Deon Burton but the match will be remembered for a shocking tackle by Stoke's Ryan Shawcross which Owls officials initially thought broke the former Everton man's ankle.
Now it looks like ligament damage and the striker will go for a scan to find the extent of the damage.
A gutted Laws admitted: "I would like to have sat here and felt good but I am dejected and disappointed to have lost a quality player to a broken ankle. He is a genuine lad of real quality and it's a gut-wrenching feeling at the moment.
"The referee had a good game but he made a bad decision there. It was a poor tackle and he (Shawcross) has gone through and broken his ankle.
"I'm a broken man; I'll go home and curl up because no-one wants to see a player injured like that."