NEW YORK — The conversations have restarted in the ongoing NHL labor fight. The negotiations have not.

One step at a time in the roller-coaster ride that holds the hockey season in the balance.

A day after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman suggested to players’ association chief Donald Fehr that the sides take a two-week break from seemingly fruitless bargaining, talking resumed Friday — albeit from afar.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke briefly with union special counsel Steve Fehr, and they were expected to have further discussions during the weekend to talk about the next steps in bargaining.

It was unclear if any progress was made yet in the discussions.

“I wouldn’t characterize it,” Daly told The Associated Press in an email Friday night. “Nothing else noteworthy.”

The day wasn’t expected to produce positive results following Thursday night’s revelation that the NHL floated the idea of taking time off in discussions. No official answer was given by the players that they accepted or rejection Bettman’s suggestion, but they repeated their willingness to bargain anytime and their belief that negotiating is the only way to reach an agreement.

If the NHL and the players’ association have run out of things to talk about, how can they ever find a way to make a deal to save the hockey season?