The N.H.L. and its players association have agreed to mediation in an effort to break the stalemate in negotiations between the two sides, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service announced.

“At the invitation of the F.M.C.S., and with the agreement of both parties, the ongoing negotiations will now be conducted under our auspices,” George H. Cohen, the service’s director, said in a statement Monday, the 72nd day of the N.H.L. lockout.

Three mediators will be involved in the negotiations, including the deputy director Scot L. Beckenbaugh and the director of mediation services John Sweeney. Commissioner Guy Serota was originally assigned to the talks, but Cohen announced his removal later Monday because of off-color comments made on a Twitter account with Serota’s name.

Beckenbaugh served as a mediator during the 2004-5 N.H.L. lockout, when the season was canceled.

“While we have no particular level of expectation going into this process, we welcome a new approach in trying to reach a resolution of the ongoing labor dispute at the earliest possible date,” Bill Daly, the N.H.L.’s deputy commissioner, said in an e-mail. “We have no further comment on the upcoming meetings at the current time.”