NHL insider pulls no punches as he cautions Capitals not to get distracted by Alex Ovechkin's GR8 chase of Wayne Gretzky's record

Alex Ovechkin is close to making history that he can taste it.

"The Great 8's" pursuit of the NHL's all-time goal-scoring record is in the final stage. Ovechkin tallied his 892nd career goal on Wednesday in Carolina, putting him two behind Wayne Gretzky's 894 goals atop the history books. He has seven games left in the regular season to bury another three goals to surpass Gretzky and cement himself as the greatest goal-scorer of all time.

However, goal 892 came in a 5-1 blowout loss to the Hurricanes and was Washington's fourth loss in its last five games, during a 1-3-1 stretch.

TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger was on "First Up" on Friday and spoke about Ovechkin's chase potentially beginning to creep into the Capitals' play.

"It's been fun to watch all season long, but I think it's also become evident that this is a distraction for the Washington Capitals," Dreger said (07:42). "It is, and they need to put it behind them so that they can focus on what they need to focus on in the playoffs moving forward."

Ovechkin can't be blamed for his team's recent struggles, having racked up seven points (four goals, three assists) in those five games. Washington (105 points) has all but clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference and could have home ice throughout the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

All eyes are on Alex Ovechkin on Friday

The hockey world will likely be solely focused on Alex Ovechkin on Friday.

With only three games on the NHL schedule, the Capitals-Blackhawks matchup stands out. An Ovechkin hat trick would be historic, and it's not that far-fetched.

The Blackhawks (52 points) have the second-worst record in the league and have allowed 279 goals this season — the third most in the NHL. It appears to be setting up for a potentially special night for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.

He'll look to add to his already impressive season totals of 66 points (39 goals, 27 assists) in just 59 games.

Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals will host the Chicago Blackhawks in a highly anticipated tilt on Friday. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at Capital One Arena.