In the 48-game, shortened 2012–13 season, Dubnyk, for the first time in his career, opened the year as the Oilers' starting goaltender. The Oilers ultimately finished 12th in the Western Conference, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for the seventh consecutive year. Dubnyk, however, enjoyed relative success, ending the season with a 2.57 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 14 wins and 22 losses, his then-best career NHL statistics, sufficient enough to earn him a second year to be a starter.