 He scored his first NHL goal three games into the season, scoring on New York Islanders goaltender Martin Biron in the second period of a 3–2 Senators victory.In the playoffs, he had a memorable triple-overtime goal in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarter-finals against Marc-André Fleury and the Pittsburgh Penguins; that was the only point Carkner earned while appearing in all six games as the Penguins took the series win.He appeared in 50 games with Ottawa in the 2010-11 season, scoring a goal and seven points, as well as earning 136 penalty minutes.