The visitors looked to be on their way to victory when substitute Ollie Berquez headed them ahead in the 62nd minute, but within five minutes Kezie Ibe equalised for Canvey Island and the game ended level.
Right from the start the two teams went for goal but it wasn't until 15 minutes into the match that the first real chance came, courtesy of a Jeff Minton free-kick that hit the Stevenage post.
Seven minutes later Canvey striker Jason Hallett fired just wide adding to the home side's early pressure.
The frustration was clear for Stevenage as Matthew Hocking and Jason Goodliffe were both booked before half-time, and Ronnie Henry and Simon Weatherstone joined them in the ref's notebook by the final whistle, while Minton was Canvey's only booking.
By half-time neither goalkeeper had been forced into a meaningful save but Stevenage came out with more determination after the break and started to enjoy more possession.
Their persistence paid off in the 62nd minute when Berquez headed in a George Boyd free-kick from six yards out to kick-start the game into life.
Barely five minutes later, Ibe equalised, the striker hitting a brilliant 20-yard shot into the top corner of Alan Julian's goal after Minton had played him in from the left.
Stevenage looked more like adding to the goals as they forced corner after corner in the closing stages, and Boyd hit a long-range shot over the bar. At the other end, Ben Chenery shot just wide of Julian's goal.
Despite a flurry of late activity it remained deadlocked and a draw was probably a fair result.