On October 9, 2011, Dubnyk started his first career season opener, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1 in the shootout while stopping 35 shots in the process. Dubnyk, however, struggled at the beginning of the 2011–12 season, recording four wins in his first 13 games along with a 3.03 GAA and a 0.902 save percentage, allowing Nikolai Khabibulin to temporarily reclaim the starter's role. As Khabibulin began to struggle, however, Dubnyk reclaimed a large portion of Edmonton's starting opportunities, finishing with a strong second half to the season. Dubnyk earned his chance to be the starting goaltender in March 2012, posting a 6–2–1 record with a 1.95 GAA and a .934 save percentage and starting 12 of the Oilers' final 13 games. At that point, he had not surrendered more than three goals in 20-straight games, and also won 16 of the Oilers' final 17 games. During the subsequent off-season, on July 6, Dubnyk signed a two-year, $7 million contract extension with Edmonton.