The sports to watch this weekend

We’re closing in on crowning champions in pro hockey and basketball, as college softball showcases the best of its sport. Here’s what I’m going to watch (all times are Eastern):

Who will hoist the Stanley Cup? The Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins, who set the NHL record for regular season wins, on their way to the Finals. The Vegas Golden Knights are back in the Finals for the second time in their six-season history. The teams begin their battle Saturday in Las Vegas (8 p.m., TNT).

The Denver Nuggets got a long layoff after beating the Los Angeles Lakers; the Miami Heat got a much shorter rest after building a 3-0 lead over the Celtics, but Boston then forced a Game 7. Either way, the NBA Finals kicks off in Denver with plenty of star power and interesting storylines. (Game 1, Thursday, 8:30 PM, ABC; Game 2, Sunday, 8:00 PM, ABC).

The Women’s College World Series takes over Oklahoma City this week, with well-known softball powerhouses Oklahoma and Oklahoma State feeling right at home. They are joined by Alabama, the state of Florida, Stanford, Tennessee, Utah and Washington. The winners of the opening four games on Thursday will meet in two games on Saturday (3 p.m., ABC; 7 p.m., ESPN).

Football rivals in the Pacific Northwest face off in an MLS-NWSL doubleheader. First, the Seattle Sounders will host the Portland Timbers (Saturday 4:30 p.m., Fox), before the OL Reign (also based in Seattle) take the field to host the Portland Thorns (Saturday 8 p.m., CBS Sports Network).

The singles draws get more exciting as the French Open approaches the halfway mark. In the women’s third round, third-seeded American Jessica Pegula will face 28th-seeded Elise Mertens (Friday 5:45 AM, Tennis Channel). In the men, Carlos Alcaraz, the number 1 seed, should receive a strong test from 26th-seeded Denis Shapovalov (Friday, 2:15 p.m., Tennis Channel).