NEW YORK — If the NHL and the players’ association are going to make a deal to save the hockey season, they are likely going to have to do it by themselves.

A pair of federal mediators tried to help for two days, but even they couldn’t bring the fighting sides closer to a compromise.

“After spending several hours with both sides over two days, the presiding mediators concluded that the parties remained far apart, and that no progress toward a resolution could be made through further mediation at this point in time,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement Thursday. “We are disappointed that the mediation process was not successful.”

So far, nothing has been.

Two members from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service joined the discussions on Wednesday and Thursday and failed to make a breakthrough.