(Reuters) - The National Hockey League (NHL) and players' union ended two days of "productive" labor talks on Friday with an agreement to meet next week in an effort to try to avoid a work stoppage.

With the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) set to expire on September 15, the league and NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) met for two-and-a-half hour at league offices in New York on Thursday followed by a four-hour session on Friday.

"We had two productive days of meetings," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement.

"A number of important issues were raised on both sides of the table, all of which will be discussed more thoroughly as we get deeper into bargaining. We are pleased with the level of engagement and look forward to meeting again next week."

The last time the two sides worked toward a new labor agreement the entire 2004-05 NHL season was lost.

Neither side offered specifics on what was discussed during the two sessions but they did agree to reconvene negotiations next week at NHLPA offices in Toronto.

"A number of items were discussed and, along with the league, we will be looking at these CBA matters in greater detail at upcoming bargaining sessions," NHLPA Executive Director Don Fehr said in a statement.

"We look forward to re-convening for further talks on Tuesday at our office in Toronto."

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)